Effect sizes for symptomatic and cognitive improvements in traumatic brain injury following hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been proposed as a method to treat traumatic brain injuries. The combination of pressure and increased oxygen concentration produces a higher content of dissolved oxygen in the bloodstream, which could generate a therapeutic benefit for brain injuries. This dissolved oxygen penetrates deeper into damaged brain tissue than otherwise possible and promotes healing.

Alternative Uses of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Military Medicine: Current Positions and Future Directions.

Introduction: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a commonly used treatment for a variety of medical issues, including more than a dozen currently approved uses. However, there are alternative proposed uses that have significant implications among an active duty military or veteran population as treatments for PTSD, mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), and traumatic brain injury (TBI). These applications have seen a recent groundswell of support from the operator and veteran communities, raising the visibility of using HBOT for alternative applications.

Department of Defense positions on alternative uses of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is an existing and approved treatment to address multiple medical conditions, including decompression sickness, air or gas embolism, carbon monoxide poisoning, and profound blood loss when transfusion cannot be accomplished. However, recent efforts have emerged to promote hyperbaric oxygen therapy for other purposes. The most controversial applications have been utilizing this therapy as a treatment for mild traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Case Series of Arterial Gas Embolism Incidents in U.S. Navy Pressurized Submarine Escape Training From 2018 to 2019.

The goal of Pressurized Submarine Escape Training (PSET) is to prepare future submariners for the physical and mental challenges of escaping a disabled submarine and promote proper handling of the Beaufort Ltd Mk 11 Submarine Escape and Immersion Equipment suit. Training participants are only permitted to enter PSET after strict health screening protocols have been met to optimize trainees' safety. Before PSET, trainees are given detailed, one-on-one instruction on proper ascent mechanics by specially trained Navy Dive instructors.

Gallbladder Carcinoma, the Difficulty of Early Detection: A Case Report.

Gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) is an uncommon malignancy with a high mortality rate. Detecting gallbladder carcinoma in its early stages can be difficult, despite improvements in ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) imaging. Most diagnoses of GBC are made at advanced stages, with the majority being found incidentally during surgery for cholelithiasis.

Oxygen breathing accelerates decompression from saturation at 40 msw in 70-kg swine.

Introduction: Submarine disaster survivors can be transferred from a disabled submarine at a pressure of 40 meters of seawater (msw) to a new rescue vehicle; however, they face an inherently risky surface interval before recompression and an enormous decompression obligation due to a high likelihood of saturation. The goal was to design a safe decompression protocol using oxygen breathing and a trial-and-error methodology. We hypothesized that depth, timing, and duration of oxygen breathing during decompression from saturation play a role to mitigate decompression outcomes.

Neuroimaging of hemorrhage and vascular malformations.

Nontraumatic spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage occurs most commonly into the subarachnoid space and brain parenchyma, in contrast to subdural and epidural hematomas that are usually traumatic. The differential diagnosis of nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage includes intracranial aneurysm rupture and vascular malformations, both of which may be investigated noninvasively with computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. An isolated intraparenchymal hematoma may be caused by hypertensive vasculopathy, amyloid angiopathy, vascular malformations, or by primary or secondary neoplasms.

Decompression sickness in a swine model: isobaric denitrogenation and perfluorocarbon at depth.

Introduction: Disabled submarine survivors could achieve inert gas tissue saturation likely to cause severe decompression sickness (DCS) on surfacing. This risk increases with time and depth of exposure. Methods to reduce DCS risk and severity are needed specifically for such an operational scenario.