The effects of carbogen and hyperbaric oxygen treatment on fracture healing in rats

BACKGROUND: Bone fractures and fracture healing are one of the most common problems among orthopedic surgeons. In this study, we investigated the effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) and carbogen (C) treatment on fracture healing in the experimental animal model. METHODS: Twenty-four male Wistar-Albino rats were randomly divided into three groups as Group 1 (C inhalation therapy), Group 2 (HBO inhalation therapy), and Group 3 (control group), with eight rats in each group. HBO and C treatment were given to the rats in Group 1 and Group 2 1 week before the surgical procedure and 3 weeks after the surgical procedure. Following the surgical procedure, all rats were killed at the end of the 3(rd) week and the healing tissue in the fracture line was evaluated clinically, radiologically, and histopathologically. RESULTS: Although there were higher histopathological, radiological, and clinical scores in the HBO and C groups in terms of fracture healing compared to the control group, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups. CONCLUSION: There are many studies in the literature that examine the systemic and local effects of HBO and C treatments and show that they increase tissue oxygenation. Our study showed that HBO and C groups had no beneficial or harmful effects on fracture healing compared to the control group.