Dr Paul Harch Interviewed on CNN with Randi Kaye

INTERPRETATION OF HARCH JOURNAL OF NEUROTRAUMA STUDY

ON HBOT IN VETERANS WITH BLAST-INDUCED TBI AND PTSD

Posted by Paul G Harch MD

Ground-Breaking Study on Treatment of U.S. War Veterans with TBI and PTSD Published

On November 22, 2011 the long-awaited preliminary results of the LSU Pilot Trial of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in chronic blast-induced mild-moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI)/post-concussion syndrome (PCS) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were published online.  And, the results are stunning.  The article appears in the prestigious peer-reviewed Journal of Neurotrauma as a Fast Track article under the Open Access Option at: liebertonline.com.  The study, originally designed to test safety and feasibility, reinforced the historical safety and feasibility of the protocol, but at the same time significantly improved the veterans, their disabling symptoms, and quality of life.

The study was conducted by Dr. Paul G. Harch and colleagues at LSU School of Medicine New Orleans, the University of North Dakota School of Medicine, and the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine and Amen Clinics.  Sixteen active duty and retired U.S. veterans were treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy nearly three years after brain injuries and PTSD caused by improvised explosive device (IED) and rocket-propelled grenade explosions.   All of the veterans had been diagnosed by military and/or civilian specialists with PCS and PTSD before coming to New Orleans to enter the study.  These diagnoses were confirmed by the study authors before treatment.  All veterans were significantly affected by a variety of classic PCS and PTSD symptoms and had abnormal neurological exams and cognitive testing.

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The New Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy HBOT has been traditionally used in the United States for a narrow list of 13 typically reimbursed indications. However, in Russia, China, the Far East, the U.K., and Europe HBOT has been applied to a variety of neurological and non-neurological diagnoses since the 1970s. In the United States Dr. Harch has been applying HBOT to the typically reimbursed indications since 1986 and a wide range of neurological and other off-label conditions since 1989. In addition, he has performed research on HBOT in 50 or more neurological conditions.

Curt Allen, Jr. was a 17 year old man who was involved in a high speed motor vehicle accident in June, 2004, in which he sustained severe traumatic brain injury. Curt was in a coma at the scene of the accident. He was admitted to an acute care hospital, underwent brain surgery to relieve pressure and placed in the ICU in critical condition. After one month he was transferred to a highly regarded post-acute brain injury rehabilitation center in Southeast Louisiana where he remained for 3 months. During these three months he made such minimal progress that he was discharged as a failure of standard intensive traumatic brain injury therapy. The day before discharge from this center his mother attended a local church where she asked the priest to request that the congregation pray for her son’s recovery. After the priest fulfilled this request during Mass Mrs.