Publications by authors named "Judy Ptak"

Article Synopsis
  • Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy is gaining attention for treating conditions beyond its established uses, particularly due to its effects on hypoxia and inflammation.
  • A web-based International Multicenter Registry collects data from various centers to analyze HBO treatment outcomes and identify new potential applications across different medical specialties.
  • The study found that out of 9,726 patients, 378 were treated for 45 new indications, with a significant number related to post-COVID-19 conditions, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease.
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Introduction: The International Multicenter Registry for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (International Report Registered Identifier DERR1-10.2196/18857) was established in 2011 to capture outcomes and complications data for both Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) approved and selected unapproved hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) therapy indications.

Methods: A Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) template was designed and distributed to all participating centers for prospective data collection.

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Background: Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO)-oxygen at pressures higher than atmospheric-is approved for 14 indications by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society. HBO's main effect is to increase oxygen content in plasma and body tissues, which can counteract hypoxia or ischemia. Laboratory studies show that HBO has effects beyond relieving hypoxia (eg, promoting angiogenesis in irradiated tissue, anti-inflammatory effects, radiosensitization of tumors, hypoxia preconditioning, and fungal growth inhibition) and has potential to treat conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and pyoderma gangrenosum.

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Background: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) markedly increases tissue oxygen delivery. Case series suggest it may have a potential therapeutic benefit in ulcerative colitis (UC). We investigated the therapeutic potential of HBOT as an adjunct to steroids for UC flares requiring hospitalization.

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We describe four patients with above-knee amputations whose stump wounds failed to heal. After numerous revascularization attempts, these patients were diagnosed with nonreconstructable pelvic and groin vascular disease and were facing hip disarticulation. With the addition of hyperbaric oxygen treatment to vigilant wound care and negative pressure therapy, these patients healed their amputation stumps and were fit with prostheses.

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Background: We describe a case of a 46-yr-old female who developed hypertension, tachycardia, dysarthria, and leg weakness provoked by pressure changes associated with flying. Typically during the landing phase of flight, she would feel dizzy and note that she had difficulty with speech and leg weakness. After the flight the leg weakness persisted for several days.

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Background: Evidence that hand hygiene (HH) reduces healthcare-associated infections has been available for almost two centuries. Yet HH compliance among healthcare professionals continues to be low, and most efforts to improve it have failed.

Objective: To improve healthcare workers' HH, and reduce healthcare-associated infections.

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Unlabelled: OBJECTIVE. To determine the impact of known observers on hand hygiene performance in inpatient care units with differing baseline levels of hand hygiene compliance.

Design: Observational study.

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A pertussis outbreak in a hematology-oncology care unit involved 10 (8.5%) of 117 employees. The source was an employee who contracted pertussis via a family contact.

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