Summary HYPERBARIC OXYGEN
THERAPY is a promising therapeutic methodology for very early cases of Cerebral
Palsy. Here are a few research reports on CP or allied brain damage disorders
that may help to decide about going in for HBO therapy for a disabled child.
Last revised January 21, 2007
High pressure diver's decompression chambers are
being used quite successfully in Cerebral Palsy therapy to force more oxygen at
supersaturated state in blood to damaged areas of brain, and bring about
significant improvement in spasticity and brain functions. The solubility of air
increases under pressure. Using this principle, CP children are placed under 2
atmosphere pressure within an oxygen hood, inside these chambers, for up to 2
hours, at regulated intervals as per a protocol.
Protocol of HBO Therapy
It depends on whose regime is being followed. At some places, sessions are at
1.5 Atmosphere pressure for fifteen minutes, followed by fifteen minutes
decompression followed by recompression as before for four such sessions. The
person is given an oxygen hood or closed mask in order to administer 100% pure
oxygen, though some authorities are beginning to consider adding a little other
gasses like Carbon-dioxide. The whole process takes at least two hours in total.
The cycle of therapy may be as follows:
Month One : Five sessions a week for four weeks.
Month Two : Three sessions a week for four weeks.
Month Three : A month off. No treatment.
Month Four : Three sessions a week for four weeks.
For the rest of the year alternate between a month off, and a month of
three times a week.
Current approved indications for HBO therapy
The Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society through its Committee on
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy continually reviews and evaluates current and
potential indications for Hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Recommendations are made in
its "Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Committee Report."
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is currently indicated as the
primary mode of therapy for:
Air or Gas Embolism
Decompression Sickness
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
HBO as an important adjunctive therapy for:
Radiation Tissue Damage (Soft Tissue and Osteoradionecrosis)
MUMS has been gathering information on HBO as a treatment Cerebral
Palsy or other brain damage for over 3 years. They started publishing
information in our quarterly newsletters and parents have been trying HBO on
their children with amazing results! They have a list of places that will treat
our children and a list of prices.
There is a public list-serv for those interested in Hyperbarics. To find out
more visit: http://www.hyperbaric.com/list.htm.
To sign up just send a message with the word "subscribe" to: hbo-list-request@hyperbaric.com.
This list-serv is used mostly by professionals who operate chambers and it is
interesting to read what they are using HBO for and the discussions of the
possibilities. Feel free to ask questions of the experts. Dr. Philip James from
Scotland is available on the list-serv. I did see some comments from people who
operate chambers in NZ.
Julie J. Gordon, MUMS National Parent-to-Parent Network, 150 Custer Court, Green
Bay, WI 54301-1243 1-877-336-5333 (toll free) 920-336-5333 920-339-0995 (Fax)
Email: mums@netnet.net
URL: http://www.waisman.wisc.edu/~rowley/mums/home.htmlx
MUMS National Parent-to-Parent Network
MUMS is a national Parent-to-Parent organization for parents or care providers
of a child with any disability, rare disorder, chromosomal abnormality or health
condition. MUMS' mission to provide support to parents in the form of a
networking system that matches them with other parents whose children have the
same or similar condition. Through a database of over 12,500 families from 39
countries, covering over 2300 disorders, very rare syndromes or conditions can
be matched. Parents can then exchange valuable medical information, as well as,
the names of doctors, clinics and medical resources or research programs.
Families provide each other with emotional support and they don't have to feel
so alone when they have each other to reach out to in time of need. MUMS
networks with other organizations which do matching, thus expanding the
possibilities of finding a match. MUMS also connects parents with support groups
dealing with their child's specific disability or assists them in forming a
group.
These forums are maintained by the Department
of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital (http://neuro-www.mgh.harvard.edu
)
A new paper on HBO
TITLE - Effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on children with spastic diplegic
cerebral palsy: a pilot project.
AUTHOR - Montgomery D et al
ABSTRACT - Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) therapy for children with cerebral palsy CP)
is not new. Research documenting the effects in this population has been
anecdotal. We evaluated the effects of HBO2 therapy for 25 children (X = 5.6 +/-
1.6 yr) with a functional diagnosis of spastic diplegic CP.Pre- and post-HBO2
evaluations consisted of the following measures: gross motor function measure
(GMFM), fine motor function (Jebsen test for hand function), spasticity
(modified Ashworth scale), video analysis, and parental questionnaire. The
protocol for HBO2 therapy was 20 treatments of 95% oxygen at 1.75 atm abs for 60
min. The Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test for non-parametric measures was
used to compare pre- and post-treatment data. Results showed improved gross
motor function in three of the five items in the GMFM test, improved fine motor
function in three of the six hand tests, reduced spasticity in three of four
muscle groups when assessed by a physician specializing in CP, and improvements
for four of nine questions posed to parents.
SOURCE - Undersea Hyperb Med 1999 Win; 26(4):235-42
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