Adjunctive Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Patients with Chronic Refractory Osteomyelitis: A Report of Treatment Outcomes and Risk Factors for Treatment Failure.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy on the outcomes of patients with chronic refractory osteomyelitis (CRO) when combined with modern antibiotics with modern delivery methods and/or surgical treatments.

Methods: The authors conducted a retrospective review on 58 patients with CRO from a single institution who underwent HBO therapy along with standard treatment between January 2009 and December 2019. To investigate associations with binary outcomes of interest, they estimated logistic regression models. All models were adjusted for sex, smoking status, and pertinent comorbidities. Exponentiated logistic regression model coefficients were interpreted as odds ratios for each outcome of interest. Multivariable logistic regression was used to control for potential confounding variables.

Results: When controlling for multiple confounding factors, patients who completed HBO treatment had 7.76 times the odds of having improvement of their CRO compared with patients who started HBO treatment but did not complete it (P = .015). Further, patients who completed HBO treatment had 7.7 times the odds of experiencing CRO improvement when controlling for CRO stage (P = .006). However, completion of HBO did not statistically significantly impact the resolution of CRO or the odds of further surgery or amputation. Patients with diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, and congestive heart failure had increased odds of having an amputation (Ps = .026, .037, and .024, respectively).

Conclusions: Patients who completed HBO treatment had increased odds of experiencing improvement of their CRO compared with patients who started HBO treatment but did not complete it. Patients with CRO who had diabetes and congestive heart failure had increased odds of undergoing an amputation.