Adverse reactions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy - case description of a generalised seizure

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a safe treatment, provided fulfilling certain rules of patient qualifications to treatment, as well as supervision over the course of therapy by qualified medical staff. Side effects reported in the literature are rare, and are usually mild and transient. Professional medical staff allows minimising the adverse events occurrence. The scale of complications is unknown, especially in Polish hyperbaric center. Careful analysis could be used to develop prevention procedures for patients of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Hyperbaric Oxygen Centre and Wound Treatment in Bydgoszcz during 28 months performed hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in case of 423 patients. During this period, adverse events occurred occasionally. 17 cases have been reported. Authors described study case 77 year-old patient who was admitted due to non-healing wound-left lower abdomen (state after radiotherapy). During the fourth session, on decompression phase patient have had a generalized seizure (tonic-clonic). The decompression was stopped, the oxygen supply was disconnected but only after the drug administration seizures terminated. The most likely causative agent of the adverse reactions of the patient treated with HBOT was the oxygen toxic effect on the brain tissue. However, analyzing the circumstances of the seizure termination: phase of decompression at the pressure 2ATA and lack of oxygen disconnection response, it cannot be excluded other causes of this complication.