When veterans walk through the doors of USF Health’s Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) Center, they often carry wounds that are not visible.
They may be experiencing sleepless nights, sudden anger, persistent headaches or another lingering effect of traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress.
Healing those invisible wounds is at the heart of one of the most comprehensive studies ever conducted on hyperbaric oxygen therapy for veterans with traumatic brain injury.
Funded by a $28 million investment from the state of Florida, USF Health is partnering with some of the top experts from the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital. The study aims to determine whether the treatment can improve the lives of veterans living with the often-invisible consequences of traumatic brain injury.
Since launching in 2024, the study has enrolled more than 300 veterans, with 192 randomized to begin treatment. Half of the participants will receive pure oxygen in a pressurized environment at twice the normal air pressure with the other half receiving regular air in the same chamber. At the end of treatment, those who did not receive actual HBOT will be given the opportunity to receive a full course at no cost.
The high concentration of oxygen dissolves into the bloodstream, reaching damaged tissues with the goal of promoting brain healing and reducing inflammation.
While the hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been used to treat other health issues, such as carbon monoxide poisoning, this study aims to determine if it can help reduce the long-term effects of traumatic brain injury.
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