Experience of Hyperbaric Chamber Usage in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Practice for Recovery and Complication Prevention

Abstract

Background: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) increases oxygen concentration in affected tissues that enhance the cellular hypoxia recovery process, neovascularization, fibroblast proliferation, increased reactive oxygen species, suppression of proinflammatory states, and vascular compression. The aim of this article is to demonstrate the experience in the use of the hyperbaric chamber as an adjunctive management for the prompt recovery of patients who underwent aesthetic plastic surgery. Methods: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted between 2021 and 2023, involving 296 patients who received HBOT after aesthetic surgical procedures, to demonstrate the recuperation time rate and the complication incidence in postoperative patients using HBOT. Results: Most participants were women, with a median age of 33.5 years. Surgical procedures were grouped in liposculpture, abdominoplasty, and breast interventions. Complications related to the surgical event were low (10.7%), with occurrences of hematomas (n = 14, 4.72%), anemias (n = 9, 3.04%), and wound dehiscence (n = 8, 2.70%). There were no reports of surgical site infections or necrosis. Recovery times to get back to work were 10 days for liposuction, 3 days for breast interventions, and 21 days for abdominoplasty. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the experience of using a postoperative hyperbaric chamber in aesthetic plastic surgery to promote recovery processes. The patient cohort in this study showed shortened recovery times than the data obtained from the major international plastic surgery organizations. Also, HBOT patients had a low complication rate, without infections, indicating the potential efficacy of this adjunctive therapy. Overall, this study underscores the promising role of hyperbaric chamber therapy in facilitating postoperative recovery and mitigating complications.