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Weekly Research Digest

HBOT Research Digest — Inaugural Issue: Q2 2026 in Review

May 29, 2026 · 24 items in this issue

  1. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for psychiatric disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis

    Seventeen studies (920 patients, nine RCTs) found HBOT associated with large reductions in depressive symptoms, with benefit at 2.0 ATA but not at 1.2 ATA, and a large effect in two sham-controlled PTSD trials. The authors stress that most studies are small and call for larger, rigorously designed RCTs.

  2. A prospective, observational programme of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for veterans with PTSD

    Among 50 US veterans completing treatment across three Florida centres, mean PTSD Checklist scores fell from 51.0 to 20.6 and improvements were sustained to six months. The single-arm design has no control group, and the authors call for controlled trials.

  3. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in treatment-refractory ulcerative colitis: the PARADOX phase 2a pilot trial

    In 16 biologic-experienced patients, a composite clinical and endoscopic response at week 12 was reached by 2 of 8 on a 10-session course and 4 of 8 on a 20-session course, with responders showing improved bowel perfusion. The findings support a future randomised, dose-finding trial.

  4. Metabolic reprogramming in COVID-19 patients treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy: a randomised clinical trial

    In 28 hospitalised patients (14 HBOT, 14 standard care), five HBOT sessions at 2.5 ATA shifted metabolites linked to arginine/nitric-oxide and lipid pathways. The pattern suggests systemic effects on vascular and inflammatory regulation.

  5. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for chronic venous leg ulcers: a prospective randomised controlled trial

    Among 80 adults with refractory ulcers, adjunctive HBOT produced greater 30-day wound-area reduction (62% versus 42%) and higher complete healing at 90 days (62.5% versus 30%). The trial was open-label and single-centre, and the authors note that sham-controlled multicentre trials are needed before routine use.

  6. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy on skin flap and graft surgical indications: a systematic review of comparative studies

    Across 24 studies (2,246 patients, 13 RCTs), the review issued a strong recommendation for peri-operative HBOT to help heal flaps and grafts in serious soft-tissue injury. The certainty of evidence ranged from very low to moderate.

  7. Hyperbaric oxygen as initial treatment for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss: a propensity-score-matched analysis

    In 413 patients, adding HBOT to intravenous and intratympanic steroids gave no additional hearing recovery over steroids alone once groups were matched. This is a negative finding relative to several positive trials in other indications.

  8. Hyperbaric oxygen dosing and delayed neuropsychiatric sequelae of carbon monoxide poisoning

    A 30-year review of 312 patients found that a higher initial pressure (2.8 ATA versus 2.0 ATA) was independently associated with 55% lower odds of delayed neuropsychiatric sequelae, while additional sessions added no significant benefit. Reaching the higher initial pressure appeared more important than treatment frequency.

  9. Decision regret and shared decision-making in patients undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy

    Among 62 patients, mostly treated for radiation injury, reported regret was low and was lower in those whose symptoms improved. The findings highlight the value of shared decision-making for a demanding therapy.

  10. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy as a therapeutic option for post-COVID syndrome fatigue

    A clinical letter discusses HBOT as a therapeutic option for fatigue in post-COVID syndrome. It is a commentary rather than a report of new trial data.

  11. The role of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in treating spinal cord injury: mechanisms, considerations and outcomes

    This review examines HBOT's potential to improve oxygenation, angiogenesis and inflammation after spinal cord injury and concludes it is a promising off-label option pending stronger trials.

  12. Hyperbaric oxygen in the artificial-intelligence era: integration and innovation

    A review maps how machine learning, digital twins and biosensors could move HBOT from fixed protocols toward patient-tailored dosing, better patient selection and real-time safety monitoring.

  13. The adjunctive role of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in microbial infection-related conditions

    A review summarises HBOT's antimicrobial and immune-supporting mechanisms and its adjunctive use in diabetic foot infection, necrotising soft-tissue infection, COVID-19 and mucormycosis, while calling for standardised protocols.

  14. Neuro-reparative potential of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in animal models of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease: systematic review and meta-analysis

    Pooling eight preclinical studies (182 animals), HBOT improved cognition and motor performance and reduced neuroinflammation. The evidence is from animal studies only and awaits clinical validation.

  15. Clinical significance of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in hypoxia-induced conditions: a comprehensive investigative study

    A comprehensive review of HBOT's evidence base and mechanisms across central-nervous-system trauma, Fournier's gangrene, osteomyelitis, carbon monoxide poisoning and radiation injury, framed around UHMS and EUBS protocols.

  16. Daily hyperbaric oxygen therapy and diaphragm recovery after cervical spinal cord injury

    In rats, daily HBOT started at the time of injury altered diaphragm gene expression and increased baseline diaphragm output, suggesting it may speed recovery of breathing-muscle activation. This is an animal study.

  17. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for fatigue recovery: experimental evidence and optimal regimen in a mouse model

    In a chronic-stress fatigue model, three to seven daily sessions at 2.5 ATA achieved near-complete recovery while 14 sessions added nothing, pointing toward time-efficient protocols. This is an animal study.

  18. Neuronal haemoglobin, prenatal stress and affective disorders: a role for early-life hyperbaric oxygen therapy

    In rats, early-life HBOT restored a neuronal haemoglobin deficit caused by prenatal stress and prevented anxiety- and depression-like behaviour in adulthood, identifying a possible mechanism and target. This is an animal study.

  19. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy alleviates cardiac fibrosis after acute carbon monoxide poisoning via the NRF2/ROS/TGF-β1/Smad pathway

    In mice, HBOT reduced heart-muscle scarring after carbon monoxide poisoning by acting on the NRF2/ROS/TGF-β1 pathway, offering a mechanism for its cardiac benefit. This is an animal study.

  20. Hyperbaric oxygen preconditioning attenuates pyroptosis and ischaemia-reperfusion injury by disrupting the LRG1-HIF-1α-IL-6-STAT3 loop

    In mice, HBOT given before injury reduced stroke size and inflammation by breaking a self-amplifying inflammatory loop and shifting immune cells toward a protective state. This is an animal study.

  21. Modelling oxygen therapy in ischaemic dermal wound closure: PDE and agent-based approaches

    Two independent mathematical models agreed that standard hyperbaric and topical oxygen therapy can close ischaemic wounds within the expected time, except at the highest levels of ischaemia, providing a quantitative framework for therapy planning.

  22. Occupational health surveillance of compressed-air workers: a scoping review

    A 50-year review found decompression-sickness rates have fallen below 0.1% with improved decompression tables and mixed gases, while new risks such as silicosis and deeper working depths have emerged.

  23. Gas exchange and pulmonary stress during SCUBA and breath-hold diving in open seawater

    Direct measurements in open-sea divers showed the expected rise in arterial oxygen at depth alongside post-dive signs of mild lung stress and disturbance of the endothelial lining, advancing understanding of diving physiology.

  24. Characteristics and prognosis of diving-induced ear trauma and sudden hearing loss

    Among 30 divers, dives deeper than 30 metres carried more sudden sensorineural hearing loss and vertigo, and those with concurrent decompression sickness recovered less well after HBOT than those without.

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