Clinical Trial: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Chronic Stable Brain Injury
Study Status: Completed
Recruit Status: Completed
Study Type: Interventional
Official Title: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Chronic Stable Brain Injury
Brief Summary: The purpose of this study is to discover the feasibility of conducting clinical research in individuals with chronic sequelae following brain injury who are given hyperbaric oxygen. This study will also look at the outcome of individuals with a chronic stable brain injury due to trauma, anoxia (lack of oxygen to the brain), or stroke, who are given hyperbaric oxygen. Outcome measures testing cognitive (memory, etc.) and functional (balance, strength, etc.) measures will be performed before the hyperbaric sessions, immediately following them, and 6 months later. The subject will receive 60 hyperbaric sessions, 60 minutes in the chamber, to a pressure of 1.5 ATA, once daily, Monday through Friday.
Detailed Summary:
Hyperbaric oxygen is presently being used in an attempt to improve functional outcome following a multitude of brain injuries such as stroke, anoxic brain injury, traumatic brain injury, and others. Family members of brain-injured individuals correspond via the Internet into coalitions demanding that their loved ones receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy. There are anecdotal reports of benefit with hyperbaric oxygen following brain injury but there is little credible scientific evidence for efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen in brain injury. Clearly, what is needed to answer if hyperbaric oxygen improves brain injury are results from carefully designed multi-center, prospective, randomized controlled clinical trials. However, the implementation of such a Phase III clinical trial is challenging without information from Phase II trials. We propose to conduct a feasibility trial that may potentially guide a future Phase III clinical trial.
Mechanisms by which hyperbaric oxygen improves sequelae following brain injury are speculative. Hyperbaric oxygen upregulates growth factor receptor sites on human endothelium and can stimulate healing in hypoxic wounds. It is conceivable that hyperbaric oxygen exerts similar effects within damaged neuronal tissue but this information is lacking. Stem cells are present in the adult brain and there is speculation that hyperbaric oxygen may stimulate these stem cells to generate new neurons, but once again, this information is speculative.
In this Phase II feasibility prospective clinical trial, we propose to recruit and enroll 70 brain-injured subjects and expose them daily to hyperbaric oxygen at 1.5 atmospheres absolute for 60 minutes per session, for 60 sessions per subject. This research protocol is the one most commonly used by practitioners who claim benefit with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Befo
Sponsor: Intermountain Health Care, Inc.
Current Primary Outcome: With this feasibility trial we wish to determine if we can recruit suitable subjects and if they will be able to comply with the protocol and tolerate 60 hyperbaric oxygen sessions. [ Time Frame: Immediately following completion of final hyperbaric oxygen session ]
Original Primary Outcome: Same as current
Current Secondary Outcome: To estimate the immediate and long-term effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on subjects with chronic brain injury. This feasibility trial may be underpowered to demonstrate efficacy, or not, with hyperbaric oxygen. [ Time Frame: Outcome measures performed immediately after final hyperbaric oxygen session and 6 months later. ]
Original Secondary Outcome: Same as current
Information By: Intermountain Health Care, Inc.
Dates:
Date Received: January 27, 2009
Date Started: November 2003
Date Completion:
Last Updated: September 2, 2011
Last Verified: September 2011
