RESEARCH ARTICLE
Hyperbaric Oxygen for Osteomyelitis in a Compromised Host
Lawrence A Delasotta*, 1, Andrew Hanflik 1, Griffin Bicking 2, William J Mannella 3
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2013Volume: 7
First Page: 114
Last Page: 117
Publisher ID: TOORTHJ-7-114
DOI: 10.2174/1874325001307010114
Article History:
Received Date: 23/10/2012Revision Received Date: 27/3/2013
Acceptance Date: 28/3/2013
Electronic publication date: 3/5/2013
Collection year: 2013

open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/) which permits unrestrictive use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Post-traumatic osteomyelitis is a rare but debilitating complication of closed fractures. Most infections can be resolved with aggressive debridement, intravenous antibiotics, and hardware removal. However, the eradication of infection can be challenging in a patient with multiple comorbidities. Refractory infection may require suppressive therapy or amputation to control the disease. Improvements in care have led to improved survival for this population, posing new challenges in their post-traumatic care. We report on the successful use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy as an adjunct in a compromised host with recurrent post-traumatic osteomyelitis despite aggressive debridement, removal of instrumentation, and several courses of intravenous antibiotic therapy. Hyperbaric oxygen may be considered as an adjunct to standard treatment protocols for refractory osteomyelitis in compromised hosts.