Intermittent hyperbaric oxygen therapy for reduction of mortality in experimental polymicrobial sepsis.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has a marked beneficial effect in experimental intraabdominal sepsis. T\vo rat models involving implantation of either rat fecal material or a mixture of pure cultures of Escherichia coli. Streptococcus faecalis, and Bacteroides fragilis were used in this study. A death rate of lOWo was obtained in control animals implanted with fecal material; with intermittent hyperbaric oxygen treatment, a death rate of only 8^0 was observed (P < .005). With a mixture of pure cultures of clinical pathogens, the death rate in control animals was 79Vo, and intermittent hyperbaric oxygen treatment reduced the rate to 23^0 (P < .005). Data from cultures of blood indicated that the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen was not related to antibacterial activity. Sepsis remains a serious clinical problem. The death rate for septic shock has varied little in 40 years, despite new broad-spectrum antibiotics, aggressive supportive measures, and invasive cardiovascular mon