The Defense Department hopes to find a better treatment for the 100,000 troops who have been diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury since 2003, and it's looking at hyperbaric chambers — often used in cases of carbon monoxide poisoning — for the answer.
Although there have been studies looking at the impact these pressurized oxygen chambers have on TBI patients, none has been able to definitively answer whether hyperbaric oxygen can reduce or eliminate chronic symptoms of TBI such as headaches, memory loss and mood swings. A new clinical trial, which is expected to begin in January 2011, is designed to do just that. More