The impact of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on the rate of wound healing in Fournier’s gangrene
Agnieszka Grabińska1, Łukasz Michalczyk2, Tomasz Ząbkowski1, Anna Grabińska3, Andrzej Kwiatkowski4, Tomasz Syryło1
Affiliation and address for correspondenceAim: The aim of the study was to assess the impact of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on the rate of wound healing in Fournier’s gangrene. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 13 patients treated for Fournier’s gangrene at the Military Institute of Medicine from October 2017 to November 2020. The study group consisted of males (n = 13) aged 24 to 83 years. Two groups of patients were distinguished: group 1 – patients who underwent hyperbaric oxygen therapy as an adjuvant treatment, group 2 – patients who did not undergo hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Results: In the first group, hyperbaric oxygen therapy was used as an adjuvant treatment of wound healing in in 8/13 patients (62%) with Fournier’s gangrene. In this group, significant acceleration of this process and shorter hospital stay were observed (mean = 29 days). In the second group, the hospitalisation time was significantly longer (mean = 51 days) in 5 out of 13 patients (38%). There were no deaths in either group 1 or group 2. Conclusions: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is an effective adjuvant therapy in the treatment of Fournier’s gangrene. It has an impact on the rate of wound healing and shorter hospitalisation time.









