The effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) when used postoperatively in skin grafting over radiated tissue in the rat

Abstract

Under conditions that may risk the success of flap surgery, free skin grafting may be an option for the reconstruction of the irradiated area. Clinical observations reveal that skin grafts applied to irradiated area undergo ulceration, resulting in chronic open wounds. The role of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) in problem wounds is to increase the tissue oxygen tension to optimize fibroblast proliferation and collagen synthesis, to enhance the oxidative killing capacity of the white blood cells and to stimulate angiogenesis. HBO has also been shown to stimulate angiogenesis in radiation-damaged tissue. In view of this data, an animal model is designed to investigate the effect of HBO therapy on the survival of a skin graft applied on a previously irradiated area. HBO therapy was started on the day of surgery and was continued for 20 days. Graft survival in each rat was calculated as a percentage of the total graft. There was no statistically significant difference between the mean value of the graft survival rate of HBO-treated and HBO-untreated groups.