Abstract
BACKGROUND: Chronic wounds present a significant challenge, resulting in prolonged care, extended hospital stays, and substantial financial and psychosocial burdens for patients and the healthcare system. Despite various techniques available to accelerate wound healing and reduce hospital stays, no standard approach for chronic wound care has been universally agreed upon. Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is well-known, but its effectiveness as a primary treatment is uncertain. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is another adjunctive technique that increases oxygen supply to wounds to promote healing, similar to NPWT. This study evaluates the effectiveness of combining HBOT with NPWT in treating chronic wounds. METHODS: This prospective multicenter randomized controlled trial involved patients with chronic wounds requiring NPWT. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either HBOT with NPWT or NPWT alone. The primary objective was to compare wound healing rates, with secondary outcomes including pain scores and bacterial contamination. RESULTS: Each study group included twenty-four patients. The analysis showed a significantly higher wound healing rate in the NPWT+HBOT group compared to the NPWT-only group (11.81 % vs. 8.54 % on day 3, 15.35 % vs. 11.17 % on day 6, 16.44 % vs. 12.14 % on day 9, 20.15 % vs. 14.9 % on day 12; P = 0.001). There were no significant differences in pain scores or bacterial contamination between the groups at any time point. CONCLUSION: Combining NPWT and HBOT significantly improves the rate of wound healing compared to NPWT alone in chronic wounds, with no significant differences in pain or infection rates between the two treatment groups.