Adverse Events During Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy – Literature Review

Abstract

As any other therapy method, hiperbaric oxygen therapy is connected with the risk of complications. The article is a review of the results of research on adverse events of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The most common are: borotrauma of the middle ear, paranasal sinuses or lungs, oxygen toxicity can be pulmonary, ocular in extreme cases leading to cataracts, claustrophobia, pulmonary edema or hypoglycaemia. Research has shown that these events occur in the presence of high oxygen concentration or high pressure. Depending on the severity of complications, they are short-term not causing discontinuation of therapy or long-term excluding continuation of treatment. However adverse events connected with oxygen therapy are not common and are usually mild. This confirms that HBOT is an effective and safe method of treating decompression sickness, carbon monoxide poisoning, and the treatment of chronic wounds, delayed radiation injuries or necrotic soft tissue infections.