A multidisciplinary team at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) is studying the role that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) could play in improving neurological function in patients who are 6 to 36 months post–ischemic stroke. Researchers will measure several primary and secondary outcomes in the study—including neurological function, daily living activities, quality of life scores, depression, and cognition.

Dr David Harrison, medical manager of the Hyperbaric Unit at VGH and a VCH Research Institute researcher, is the study’s lead investigator. He and his team are actively recruiting 140 participants between the ages of 19 and 85 who have had a stroke involving the cerebral hemispheres during the past 6 to 36 months.

Participants will receive a series of 40 treatments in the hyperbaric oxygen chamber at VGH. Treatment involves breathing 100% oxygen at increased pressures inside an airtight, cylindrical steel chamber. This allows oxygen to be dissolved into the bloodstream and carried to the organs. Study participants will receive one of two treatments, each with a different environment pressure and oxygen level. Preliminary results are expected in December 2018.

To learn more about the study visit: www.vchri.ca/clinical-trials/hyperbaric-oxygen-post-established-stroke-hopes [9].