The use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the treatment of necrotizing soft tissue infections, compromised grafts and flaps, hidradenitis suppurativa, and pyoderma gangrenosum

Abstract

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is used in the management of a wide array of disease states, including acute thermal burn injuries, carbon monoxide poisoning, and decompression sickness, to name a few. Although HBOT is approved by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society for the treatment of only 14 conditions, it has been used “off-label” in the management of a variety of dermatological diseases. This review investigates the utilization of HBOT in dermatology and appraises the evidence behind its use. We focus on the role of HBOT in treating necrotizing soft tissue infections, compromised grafts and flaps, hidradenitis suppurativa, and pyoderma gangrenosum.