Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in a patient with Guillain-Barr é syndrome receiving mechanical ventilation.

We present a patient with severe GBS who received HBOT while ventilated in a multiplace hyperbaric chamber. Three courses of HBOT (one session per day, 10 sessions per course) were administered with a 2-day rest period between each course. The HBOT protocol was 40 minutes at 220 kPa with 25 minutes of compression and decompression. Following weeks of gradual deterioration, motor function improved after the first HBOT session. After eight HBOT sessions, the patient was successfully discontinued from mechanical ventilation and after 10 sessions the patient's muscle strength was significantly improved. After 30 HBOT sessions, the patient had normal breathing and speech, and did not cough when eating. Upper limb muscle strength was graded as 4 on the Medical Research Council (MRC) scale, lower limb muscle strength was graded as MRC 3. The patient was successfully discharged. Mechanically ventilated GBS patients may benefit from HBOT but studies are required to separate spontaneous recovery rates from treatment benefit. PMID: 32957136 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine - Category: Sports Medicine Tags: Diving Hyperb Med Source Type: research