Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on Diabetic Foot: Integrative Review

Resumo

Diabetic foot's ulcer is one of the most frequent complications of diabetes mellitus and currently is the most common cause of non-traumatic amputations. It can be treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). This integrative review aimed to identify available evidence related to the treatment of diabetic foot with HBOT in order to evaluate their effectiveness. There was a search for articles in databases: LILACS, BDENF, Pubmed / MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and Portal de Evidências da Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde. Twelve articles were selected for this review. HBOT allows an improvement of arterial oxygen delivery to affected tissue, with consequent increase of perfusion and acceleration of the healing process, moreover, provides a significant reduction in amputations. Statistical data evidences that HBOT is an efficient therapy when associated to conventional management. Although the evidences reported in several clinical trials present the recommendation for the use of HBOT as an adjuvant therapy of the treatment of diabetic foot, the development of well-designed clinical research becomes necessary, as well as the standardization of treatment protocol, allowing uniformity of this patient’s assistance and promoting better and safer clinical practice.