Re: Hyperbaric Chamber Explosion In Florida Kills Woman, I...

[Guest guest]

Can we say fraud? Hyperbaric treatments will have no more effect on autism drinking plain water would. Sounds like another quack treatment and if this facility was indeed performing such a "treatment" they should be charged for medical fraud.

In a message dated 5/2/2009 5:53:38 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, no_reply writes:

Hyperbaric chambers were first used to treat diving injuries commonly referred to as "the bends." But in recent years they have also been used to treat conditions like wounds and autism. Check all of your email inboxes from anywhere on the web. Try the new Email Toolbar now!

[Guest guest]

>

> Can we say fraud? Hyperbaric treatments will have no more effect on autism

> drinking plain water would. Sounds like another quack treatment and if this

> facility was indeed performing such a " treatment " they should be charged

> for medical fraud.

>

>

>

In that case it was not used for Autism, but cerebral palsy. However it is sad

and tragic that health care is so fraught with snake oil salesmen, It does seem

everyone is just out to get what they can.

It makes me want to stay inside and never leave

[Guest guest]

mimi wrote: " ... <snip> ... In that case it was not used for Autism, but

cerebral palsy ... <snip> ... "

Does it really matter how the hyperbaric chamber was being misused? The fact of

the matter is that it caused death and serious injury and even if it had not

exploded, the original application was injurious to the child in question.

Raven

[Guest guest]

" ... <snip> ... In that case it was not used for Autism, but

cerebral palsy ... <snip> ... "

>

> Does it really matter how the hyperbaric chamber was being misused? The fact

of the matter is that it caused death and serious injury and even if it had not

exploded, the original application was injurious to the child in question.

>

> Raven

>

I guess I was saying I didn't know if it was applicable to CP, as oxygen

chambers do have medicinial use in certain cases, in any event what I was saying

is that US heath practice seems to have declined in it's expectations of good

medicine and safety. It is sad from every perspective.

Effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on children with spastic diplegic cerebral

palsy: a pilot project.Montgomery D, Goldberg J, Amar M, Lacroix V, Lecomte J,

Lambert J, Vanasse M, Marois P.

McGill University, Hôpital Sainte-e, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

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.

Medical therapy: This encompasses treatment for all medical problems whether

related to CP or not. Various specialists may be called upon to deal with

specific problems.

•Seizures: Seizure disorders are common in people with cerebral palsy. These are

usually well controlled with medication. A specialist in conditions of the

nervous system (neurologist) may be consulted for help in selecting an

appropriate regimen.

•Feeding and digestive problems: Individuals with cerebral palsy often have

gastroesophageal reflux or GERD (severe heartburn and related symptoms caused by

regurgitation of acid from the stomach) as well as swallowing and feeding

problems. A team consisting of a doctor who specializes in digestive diseases

(gastroenterologist), a nutritionist, and a feeding and swallowing therapist can

assess nutritional status and treat problems. Swallowing therapy helps the child

eat and drink independently and helps prevent aspiration. The child's diet must

be customized to accommodate limitations in swallowing. Children with severe

swallowing problems require feeding through a tube.

•Breathing problems: People with cerebral palsy may have breathing problems

because the muscles that control expansion and contraction of the lungs are

disabled. A specialist in lung disorders (pulmonologist) should be consulted for

management of the resulting lung disease.

Findings

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=hstat1a.section.42068

Brain Injury

For traumatic brain injury, one randomized trial provided fair evidence that

HBOT might reduce mortality or the duration of coma in severely injured TBI

(traumatic brain injuries) patients. However, in this trial, HBOT also increased

the chance of a poor functional outcome. A second fair quality randomized trial

found no difference in mortality or morbidity overall, but a significant

reduction in mortality in one subgroup. Therefore, they provide insufficient

evidence to determine whether the benefits of HBOT outweigh the potential harms.

The quality of the controlled trials was fair, meaning that deficiencies in the

design add to uncertainty about the validity of results.

Due to flaws in design or small size, the observational studies of HBOT in TBI

do not establish a clear, consistent relationship between physiologic changes

after HBOT sessions and measures of clinical improvement.

The evidence for use of HBOT in other types of brain injury is inconclusive. No

good- or fair-quality studies were found.

Cerebral Palsy

There is insufficient evidence to determine whether the use of HBOT improves

functional outcomes in children with cerebral palsy. The results of the only

truly randomized trial were difficult to interpret because of the use of

pressurized room air in the control group. As both groups improved, the benefit

of pressurized air and of HBOT at 1.3 to 1.5 atm should both be examined in

future studies.

The only other controlled study compared HBOT treatments with 1.5 atm to

delaying treatment for 6 months. As in the placebo-controlled study, significant

improvements were seen, but there was not a significant difference between

groups.

Two fair-quality uncontrolled studies (one time-series, one before-after) found

improvements in functional status comparable to the degree of improvement seen

in both groups in the controlled trial.

Although none of the studies adequately measured caregiver burden, study

participants often noted meaningful reductions in caregiver burden as an outcome

of treatment.

[Guest guest]

mimi wrote: " ... <snip> ... I guess I was saying I didn't know if it was

applicable to CP, as oxygen chambers do have medicinial use in certain cases, in

any event what I was saying is that US heath practice seems to have declined in

it's expectations of good medicine and safety. It is sad from every perspective

.... <snip> ... "

I agree!

Raven