Initial results of treating thermal burns by hyperbaric oxygen at the Vietnam National Institute of Maritime Medicine.

Background: Burns, especially heat-related ones, are common injuries at work as well as in daily life. If there is no proper treatment, burns will leave a lot of sequelae, affecting daily activities, working ability, aesthetic and psychology of patients. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a new treatment, supporting pain relief, accelerating wound healing process, and reducing hospital stay.

Aim: To describe the clinical characteristics of thermal burn patients right at the time of admission and initial results of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

Material and methods: Prospective and retrospective case series report. This study comprised of thermal burn patients, who came to the Vietnam National Institute of Maritime Medicine (VINIMAM) for treatment via hyperbaric oxygen therapy from 2018-2022. Patients were first treated by VINIMAM 1, 2 and 3 regimens, then monitored and periodically assessed for some clinical features demonstrating the effect of this treating method.

Results: The mean age of 82 patients was 48.4 ± 19.5; 74.4% of patients were burned by boiling water; 51.2% of them had 3rd degree burns; percentage of patients with < 10% of total body surface area (TBSA) burned was 80.5%; the mean length of stay was 8.9 ± 3.0 days, which was significantly lower than the expected figures.

Conclusions: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is an effective treatment for thermal burn patients, with a variety of positive effects on burned tissues, therefore it should be scaled up, especially in facilities specialized in burn treatment.