Hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves colorectal anastomotic healing

PURPOSE: Hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) has been found to improve the healing of poorly oxygenated tissues. This study aimed to investigate the influence of HBOT on the healing in ischemic colorectal anastomosis. METHODS: Forty Wistar rats were randomly divided into a treatment group that received HBOT for 10 consecutive days (7 days before and 3 days after surgery), or in a control group, which did not receive the therapy. Colectomy with an ischemic anastomosis was performed in all rats. In each group, the rats were followed for 3 or 7 days after surgery to determine the influence of HBOT on anastomotic healing. RESULTS: Five rats from each group died during follow-up. No anastomotic dehiscence was seen in the HBOT group, compared to 37.5 % and 28.6 % dehiscence in the control group on postoperative day (POD) 3 and 7, respectively. The HBOT group had a significantly higher bursting pressure (130.9 ± 17.0 mmHg) than the control group (88.4 ± 46.7 mmHg; p = 0.03) on POD 3. On POD 3 and POD 7, the adhesion severity was significantly higher in the control groups than in the HBOT groups (p < 0.005). Kidney function (creatinine level) of the HBOT group was significantly better than of the control group on POD 7 (p = 0.001). Interestingly, a significantly higher number of CD206+ cells (marker for type 2 macrophages) was observed in the HBOT group at the anastomotic area on POD 3. CONCLUSION: Hyperbaric oxygen enhanced the healing of ischemic anastomoses in rats and improved the postoperative kidney function. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00384-016-2573-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.