Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment for PostCOVID-19 Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss Patients

Abstract

Objective: Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) has been reported in individuals with a previous medical history of COVID-19. This research was conducted to investigate the outcomes and characteristics of these cases following hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBO2). Methods: This retrospective study included patients diagnosed with SSNHL, with a previous history of coronavirus disease, who underwent HBO2. Medical files from four health centers (three tertiary and one state hospital) between March 2020 and September 2021 were reviewed to evaluate the treatment outcomes. Results: The study found that 25 out of 304 patients who presented with SSNHL had a prior COVID-19 infection. The mean age of the patients was 36.2 ± 12.3 years, with 56% being male. Recovery rates were as follows: complete recovery (20%), partial improvement (20%), and minimal improvement (32%). There was a statistically significant difference between the pre-and post-treatment median values of all frequency levels (**P<0.001). Conclusion: SSNHL requires immediate management with various treatment modalities. In this study, HBO2 showed improvement in hearing loss specifically in patients with a prior history of coronavirus infection. The varied distribution of recovery rates aligns with existing literature. This is the inaugural study assessing the outcomes of HBO2 in such cases. ABSTRACT