Hyperbaric oxygen for refractory osteomyelitis

Refractory osteomyelitis is defined as a chronic osteomyelitis that persists or recurs after appropriate interventions have been performed or where acute osteomyelitis has not responded to accepted management techniques [1]. To date, no randomized clinical trials examining the effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) therapy on refractory osteomyelitis exist, and the number of new osteomyelitis clinical trials conducted over the past decade has been limited. However, based on a comprehensive review of the scientific literature, the addition of HBO2 therapy to routine surgical and antibiotic treatment of previously refractory osteomyelitis appears to be both safe and ultimately improves infection resolution rates. In most cases, the best clinical results are obtained when HBO2 treatment is administered in conjunction with culture-directed antibiotics and initiated soon after clinically indicated surgical debridement. Where extensive surgical debridement or removal of fixation hardware is relatively contraindicated (e.g., cranial, spinal, sternal, or pediatric osteomyelitis), a trial of culture-directed antibiotics and HBO2 therapy prior to undertaking more than limited surgical interventions provides a reasonable prospect for osteomyelitis cure. HBO2 therapy is ordinarily delivered on a once daily basis, five-seven days per week, for 90–120 minutes using 2.0–3.0 atmospheres absolute (ATA) pressure. Where prompt clinical improvement is seen, the existing regimen of antibiotics and HBO2 therapy should be continued for approximately four to six weeks. Typically, 20–40 HBO2 sessions are required to achieve sustained therapeutic benefit. In contrast, if prompt clinical response is not noted or osteomyelitis recurs after this initial treatment period, then continuation of the current antibiotic and HBO2 treatment regimen is unlikely to be effective. Instead, clinical management strategies should be reassessed and additional surgical debridement and/or modification of antibiotic therapy considered. Subsequent reinstitution of HBO2 therapy will again help maximize the overall chances for treatment success in these persistently refractory patients.