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Hyperbaric oxygen treatment and pulmonary air-containing lesions
Osman Türkmen1, Recep Özkan2, Kübra Özgök Kangal3, Merve Dur İnce4, Yakup Arslan5
1 Department of Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine, Samsun Training and Research Hospital, Samsun, Türkiye
2 Department of Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine, Van Training and Research Hospital, Van, Türkiye
3 Department of Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine, Health Sciences University, Gülhane Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Türkiye
4 Department of Radiology, Health Science University, Gülhane Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Türkiye
5 Department of Pulmonology, Health Sciences University, Gülhane Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Türkiye
Corresponding author: Dr Osman Türkmen, Department of Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine, Samsun Training and Research Hospital, Kadıköy Neighborhood, Barış Boulevard, No:199, 55090 İlkadım/Samsun, Türkiye
ORCiD: 0000-0001-6819-4356
Keywords
Bullae; Lungs; Hyperbaric oxygen treatment; Pulmonary barotrauma
Abstract
(Türkmen O, Özkan R, Özgök Kangal K, Dur İnce M, ArslanY. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment and pulmonary air-containing lesions. Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine. 2025 December 20;55(4):343−351. doi: 10.28920/dhm55.4.343-351. PMID: 41364858.)
Introduction: Pulmonary barotrauma is a rare but serious complication of hyperbaric oxygen treatment. Pulmonary air-containing lesions may predispose pulmonary barotrauma by causing air trapping during changes in environmental pressure. This study aimed to investigate whether pulmonary air-containing lesions cause pulmonary barotrauma during hyperbaric oxygen treatment.
Methods: This study retrospectively analysed data from individuals who presented to the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Clinic at Gülhane Training and Research Hospital, Health Sciences University, between 2017 and 2022. The relationship between presence of pulmonary air-containing lesions on computed tomography and pulmonary barotrauma was evaluated.
Results: Gas containing lesions were not associated with an increased risk of pulmonary barotrauma. The incidence of pneumothorax during hyperbaric oxygen was extremely low (0.0059% per session, 0.15% per patient).
Conclusions: Pulmonary air-containing lesions, including bullae, were not associated with an increased risk under standard hyperbaric oxygen treatment protocols. Routine chest computed tomogaphy screening is not warranted due to the low complication rate. Nevertheless, clinical evaluation and informed consent are essential, particularly for patients with underlying lung disease. Further studies are needed to improve risk assessment.
Copyright: This article is the copyright of the authors who grant Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine a non-exclusive licence to publish the article in electronic and other forms.