해군 고압산소치료 운용 경험과 제언, 2004-2020년 = Experience of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Facility Operation in Korea Navy 2004-2020 and Suggestion for Efficient Operation

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Objective: The navy established a hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) facility in 1979. Many patients have received HBOT. This study was conducted to review HBOT sessions and compare whether there are any differences between the past and the present.
Method: This study is retrospective descriptive study. We analyzed medical records from January 2004 to December 2020 at Maritime medical research center. Indications, treatment protocol, demographic data and purpose of diving (especially in decompression sickness) were collected. The collected data were analyzed according to period (2000s and 2010s), patient’s status (civilian, military-related) and indications.
Results: A total 489 patients who visited the hospital received 669 treatment sessions. For 340 civilian patients, the number of patients decreased from 307(2000s) to 33(2010s) over the period. However for 149 military patients, the number of patients increased from 41(2000s) to 108(2010s). In the military cases, 118 patients had diving disorder. Among them, 52 cases occurred during training session and 45 during rescue operations. 31 patients had non-diving disorder (CO poisoning, sudden sensorineural hearing loss, soft tissue injury, and tinnitus) and they received 181 treatment sessions.
Conclusion: In the past, civilian patients with diving disorder mainly visited naval HBOT facility. Recently, the main trend in the proportion of patients has shifted from civilian to military. In the future, it could be considered to expand HBOT application to non-diving disorder on soldiers. It will provide patients novel treatment opportunity and increase the amount of facility utilization.