Contemporary national outcomes of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in necrotizing soft tissue infections.

Abstract

BackgroundThe role of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTI) is mainly based on small retrospective studies. A previous study using the 1998-2009 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) found HBOT to be associated with decreased mortality in NSTI. Given the argument of advancements in critical care, we aimed to investigate the continued role of HBOT in NSTI.MethodsThe 2012-2020 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) was queried for NSTI admissions who received surgery. 60,481 patients between 2012-2020 were included, 600 (ResultsAge, gender, and comorbidities were similar between the two groups. On bivariate comparison, the HBOT group had lower mortality rate (ConclusionsAfter correction for differences, HBOT was associated with decreased mortality, amputations, and non-home discharges in NSTI with the tradeoff of increase to costs and length of stay.