DOD-sponsored trial of HBO2 for TBI results announced
News release:
Point of Contact:
Carey Phillips
Public Affairs Specialist
U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity
(301) 619-7056
E-mail: carey.a.phillips2.civ@mail.mil
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FORT DETRICK, Md. – The U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity announced the results of the Brain Injury and Mechanisms of Action of Hyperbaric Oxygen for persistent post-concussive symptoms after mild traumatic brain injury clinical trial May 9, resulting in short-term improvements that regressed after six months.
The DOD-sponsored BIMA study evaluated HBO2 as an intervention for U.S. Service Members with post-concussive symptoms three months to five years after sustaining a mild TBI.
"Even though the improvements were not sufficient to restore subjects to their expected pre-injury baseline, we remain committed to finding the most effective therapeutic solutions for our wounded warriors and veterans, particularly those who are suffering with TBI or PTSD." said Benjamin Pryor, deputy project manager for the Neurotrauma and Psychological Health Project Management Office at USAMMDA.
The results of the BIMA study can be accessed by logging in to the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society May website: https://www.uhms.org
In addition to evaluating HBO2 as an intervention for mTBI in participants, the BIMA study also evaluated specific symptoms and conducted a range of other assessments on quality of life, sleep, cognitive processing, visual and neuroimaging. The analysis showed that HBO2 produced short-term improvement in self-reported post-concussive and PTSD symptoms, as well as some cognitive processing speed and sleep measures, in comparison to a control group. However, these improvements regressed after six months and variably diminished after one year.
The BIMA was an exploratory, randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled clinical trial.
The analysis was performed by Emmes Corporation, in close collaboration with scientists and health professionals from LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah and Lovelace Biomedical Environmental Research Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
HBO2 is a drug-device combination treatment in which a patient breathes oxygen under pressure to achieve elevated oxygen levels in the blood and tissue for a period of time. It is an approved therapy for 14 medical conditions, including non-healing diabetic wounds and carbon monoxide poisoning, at pressures ranging from 2.0 to 3.0 ATA.
About USAMMDA
USAMMDA is the DOD's advanced development activity for products designed to protect and preserve the lives of Warfighters. USAMMDA develops new drugs, vaccines and medical support equipment that enhance readiness, ensures the provision of the highest quality medical care to the DOD and maximizes survival of medical casualties on the battlefield.