Traumatic and Hypoxic Brain Injury and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

When the brain is injured, it immediately swells or becomes inflamed. This is a natural response as the body attempts to protect and respond to the injured area. Once bleeding is controlled and scar tissue forms, the inflammation should subside. However, chronic inflammation within the brain is a common issue. When the brain swells, pressure builds on blood vessels, making it difficult for blood to flow through the injured areas. This leads to decreased oxygen and nutrient delivery to the affected regions. Depending on the location of the injury within the brain, patients may experience partial or complete loss of mobility or cognitive function. TBI patients often struggle with uncontrollable emotional responses, memory loss, and confusion. Severe TBIs can result in complete loss of brain function or even death.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been used both for emergency treatment immediately following a traumatic brain injury and for managing long-term symptoms of old injuries. Research indicates that for HBOT to be effective in acute TBI cases, treatment should be administered within 48 hours of the injury. The pressurized oxygen can reduce inflammation at the injury site and may prevent further long-term damage caused by ongoing inflammation in the brain tissues.

Even if a patient is unable to receive hyperbaric therapy for an acute TBI, they may still benefit from this treatment years or even decades later. Increased oxygen delivery to the brain can help reduce residual neuroinflammation and improve blood flow to damaged tissues, potentially leading to partial or full repair of the brain. Research by Dr. Paul Harch and others has demonstrated that there is no time limit for repairing damaged brain tissue. Patients have reported regaining full mobility and cognitive function after undergoing a series of hyperbaric treatments.