A relatively new category of chronic infections caused by bacteria growing in slime-enclosed aggregates known as biofilms is now becoming one of the major focus topics in clinical research, as it affects millions of people in the developed world each year and in turn is responsibilities for many deaths as a result. Biofilm infections can be extremely difficult to treat, particularly in cases such as pneumonia in cystic fibrosis patients, chronic wounds, chronic otitis media and implant- and catheter-associated infections.
“The findings in this study highlight that oxygenation by HBOT improves the bactericidal activity of ciprofloxacin on P. aeruginosa biofilm and suggest that bacterial biofilms is sensitized to antibiotics by supplying hyperbaric O2.” <view study>