ReviewThe Journal of head trauma rehabilitation
Is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Effective for Traumatic Brain Injury? A Rapid Evidence Assessment of the Literature and Recommendations for the Field.
Review in The Journal of head trauma rehabilitation. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Medical Gas Therapy for Tissue, Organ, and CNS Protection: A Systematic Review of Effects, Mechanisms, and Challenges.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2022Pooled it
- Inhalational Gases for Neuroprotection in Traumatic Brain Injury.Journal of neurotrauma · 2021Pooled it
- Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Children with Brain Injury: A Retrospective Case Series.International journal of medical sciences · 2025Article
- Hydrogel in the Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury.Biomaterials research · 2024Review
- The neuroprotection of hyperbaric oxygen therapy against traumatic brain injury via NF-κB/MAPKs-CXCL1 signaling pathways.Experimental brain research · 2022Article
- Hyperbaric oxygen therapy promotes consciousness, cognitive function, and prognosis recovery in patients following traumatic brain injury through various pathways.Frontiers in neurology · 2022Article
- Article
- Scientific Evaluation and Review of Claims in Health Care (SEaRCH): A Streamlined, Systematic, Phased Approach for Determining "What Works" in Healthcare.Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThis systematic review examines the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) for traumatic brain injury (TBI) to make evidence-based recommendations for its application and future research.
methodsA comprehensive search was conducted to identify studies through 2014. Methodological quality was assessed and synthesis and interpretation of relevant data was performed.
resultsTwelve randomized trials were included. All mild TBI studies demonstrated minimal bias and no statistically significant differences between HBO2 and sham arms. Statistically significant improvement occurred over time within both groups. Moderate-to-severe TBI studies were of mixed quality, with majority of results favoring HBO2 compared with "standard care." The placebo analysis conducted was limited by lack of details.
conclusionsFor mild TBI, results indicate HBO2 is no better than sham treatment. Improvements within both HBO2 and sham groups cannot be ignored. For acute treatment of moderate-to-severe TBI, although methodology appears flawed across some studies, because of the complexity of brain injury, HBO2 may be beneficial as a relatively safe adjunctive therapy if feasible. Further research should be considered to resolve the controversy surrounding this field, but only if methodological flaws are avoided and bias minimized.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.