This is a bibliographic record of a published health technology assessment from a member of INAHTA. No evaluation of the quality of this assessment has been made for the HTA database.

The objectives were to examine the published evidence on the clinical and cost effectiveness of adjunctive hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for diabetic foot ulcer (DFU), a complication of diabetes mellitus, in adults and children.

Implications for Decision Making

Adjunctive HBOT for DFU is mor eeffective than standard care alone. The proportion of major LEAs can decrease from 32% among patients receiving standard care to 11% among those receiving adjunctive HBOT. There was a decrease in the proportion of unhealed wounds with HBOT; the reverse was true for minor LEAs.

HBOT for DFU is cost effective compared with standard care. The 12-year cost for a patient receiving HBOT was 40,695 Canadian dollars compared to 49,786 Canadian dollars for standard care alone,with an associated increase of 0.63 quality adjusted life years (QALYs) (3.01 QALYs for standard care to 3.64 QALYs for those receiving HBOT)

HBOT requires additional resources and planning. The estimated costs to treat all prevalent DFU cases in Canada is 14 million Canadian dollars per year for four years. An estimated 179 additional monoplace chambers or 19 seven-person multiplace HBOT chambers would be required.

Optimal use will require additional considerations. Guidelines would need to be applied to identify those patients most appropriately treated with HBOT. As standard care evolves and better quality studies become available, the estimated comparative advantage of HBOT may change.

http://www.inahta.org/Publications/Briefs-Checklist-Impact/20072/Adjunctive-Hyperbaric-Oxygen-Therapy-for-Diabetic-Foot-Ulcer-An-Economic-Analysis/