Adjunctive hyperbaric oxygen therapy for post-stroke cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

 

Why do HBOT when there are vastly simpler, cheaper and less risky ways to increase oxygen uptake?

 I can't see any use for HBOT unless it's delivered in the first week and there are vastly easier options for delivering oxygen than that.

Google this for risks: hyperbaric oxygen therapy deaths. 

Here are 43 posts on HBOT for your edification

• Metformin (19 posts to July 2012)

Well, since this has been around for years why the hell doesn't someone actually do human testing and create protocols on stroke recovery?

Earlier research has this line:The drug, which is cheaply available for just $0.16 a day, works by boosting the number of oxygen molecules released into a cell, which in turn seems to benefit the robustness and longevity of the body’s basic building blocks. (This would seem to be much easier and faster than HBOT. I'm requesting this at my next stroke, my doctor won't know what hit her when I tell her how to treat me.)

If your doctor doesn't know about this s/he IS COMPLETELY FUCKING INCOMPETENT? And not creating protocols is even worse, allowing millions to billions of neurons to die because of lack of oxygen during the neuronal cascade of death!

 What other protocols is your doctor using to significantly improve oxygen delivery immediately post stroke? The first hours and days? NOTHING? Then you DON'T have a functioning stroke doctor, do you?

Maybe these, why isn't your incompetent doctor already delivering these to you?

cerebral blood flow (29 posts to July 2016)

Cerebral blood flow autoregulation (1 post to July 2021)

Cerebral Blood Flow Velocity (1 post to Febraury 2020)

cortical oxygenation (1 post to November 2020)

oxygen delivery (20 posts to January 2020)

oxygen uptake (5 posts to August 2013)

• Super Saturated Oxygen Therapy (1 post to May 2021)

Normobaric oxygen (10 posts to January 2020)

brain blood flow (3 posts to April 2019)

 Oh, your incompetent doctor doesn't have any and doesn't fucking care about learning better ways to get you recovered! Well, fire them! 

The latest here:

Adjunctive hyperbaric oxygen therapy for post-stroke cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

• 

  Xiaosai Hu ¹

• S

  Shurong Zhao ²

• D

  Dandan Zhang ³

• X

  Xianguo Meng ^1,3*

• 1. School of Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Shandong First Medical University (Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences), Taian, China

• 2. Shandong First Medical University (Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences), Jinan, China

Abstract

Objective: 

To evaluate the effects of adjunctive hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) on cognitive, neurological, and functional outcomes in patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI), and explore potential sources of heterogeneity.

Methods: 

Eight databases were searched from inception to July 15, 2026. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating adjunctive HBOT in patients with PSCI were included. The primary outcome was the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA); secondary outcomes included the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Modified Barthel Index (MBI), and Barthel Index (BI). Random-effects meta-analyses, prespecified subgroup analyses, and meta-regression were performed. Sensitivity analyses, funnel plots, Egger’s tests, and GRADE assessments were conducted.

Results: 

Thirty-five RCTs involving 3,036 participants, all conducted in China, were included. Adjunctive HBOT was associated with higher MoCA scores (MD = 2.90, 95% CI: 2.47–3.33; p < 0.00001; I² = 84%) and MMSE scores (MD = 2.68, 95% CI: 2.20–3.16; p < 0.00001; I² = 83%). Improvements were also observed in NIHSS (MD = −2.61, 95% CI: −3.34 to −1.89; p < 0.00001; I² = 93%), MBI (MD = 6.64, 95% CI: 3.76–9.52; p < 0.00001; I² = 82%), and BI (MD = 8.77, 95% CI: 4.72–12.82;p < 0.00001; I² = 82%). No statistically significant subgroup differences were observed for MoCA (p = 0.10) or MMSE (p = 0.43). Higher baseline MoCA scores tended to be associated with smaller treatment effects in meta-regression (β = −0.1411, p = 0.0637; R² = 15.42%). Substantial heterogeneity remained largely unexplained. Evidence certainty was low for MoCA, MMSE, and MBI and very low for NIHSS and BI.

Conclusion: 

Adjunctive HBOT may(NOT GOOD ENOUGH!) provide cognitive and functional benefits in patients with PSCI. However, substantial unexplained heterogeneity, low-to-very-low certainty of evidence, and the exclusively Chinese evidence base warrant cautious interpretation and limit generalizability. Further well-designed RCTs involving diverse populations are needed.

Systematic review registration:

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420261473579, PROSPERO, CRD420261473579.