Examples of Enhancing Treatment & Care with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT): Adjunctive HBOT in the Treatment of Multiple Wounds from Entanglement with Wire Fence

An adult male neutered greyhound presented on an emergency basis with multiple wounds sustained after becoming entangled in a wire fence.  The owner had tied a tourniquet around the left forelimb prior to transport in an attempt to control bleeding from multiple lacerations.  That forelimb was severely bruised and swollen, and did not bleed extensively when the tourniquet was removed.  There was a right axillary laceration with a major skin flap peeled away from the subcutaneous tissue (images right and first below).

The wounds were clipped and cleaned, and the axillary skin flap laceration was closed with nylon suture material. Baytril®, Clavamox®, tramadol, gabapentin, hydrotherapy, and BID HBOT sessions for one hour at 1.5 ATA were begun.  The picture (above, second from left) was taken 24 hours after admission, after two HBOT sessions.  Note the change in appearance of the left forelimb.

This case exemplifies the value of adjunctive HBOT in the management of injuries, which include skin flaps (Reference 1) and/or the potential development of compartmental syndrome (Reference 2).  In nearly all types of medical therapy, prompt treatment improves the chance of success.

The last two pictures (above, third and fourth from left) were obtained 6 days after the injury, after 10 HBOT sessions.

 BID HBOT Sessions Given: 12/20, 12/21, 12/22, 12/23, 12/26

Reference 1: Pellitteri, PK et al, The influence of Intensive Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on Skin Flap Survival in A Swine Model, Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surgery, 1992, Oct; 118(10): 1050-4

Reference 2: Strauss, MB, The Effect of Hyperbaric Oxygen in Crush Injuries and Skeletal Muscle Compartmental Syndromes. Undersea Hyperbaric Med, 2012, July-Aug; 39(4): 847-55

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