Special Report – Veterans and HBOT
The unfortunate truth is that countless veterans, just like Simon, repeatedly battle suicidal thoughts. They struggle from their battle wounds and PTSD with each passing minute.
These brave souls protected our country, and it’s beyond time that we protect their future. Thankfully there is hope in HBOT.
Watch the 30 Minute Special Report
Veterans are at especially high risk for suicide due to the injuries they’ve endured and the horrific images they’ve seen. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) rank high among the reasons why veterans are choosing death over living. But there is hope for new beginnings. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is helping war veterans turn their lives around.
In this Special Report, Edward diGirolamo, host of the HBOT News Network, dives into HBOT and what the state of North Carolina is doing to help get veterans this life saving therapy. We hear from Melissa Spain, CEO of the Community Foundation of NC East, as she discusses their involvement to get NC Senate Bill 442 passed; a bill that has appropriated funds to provide HBOT to NC veterans who suffer from TBI and PTSD.
We are also greeted by Elena Schertz, Nurse Practitioner at Extivita-RTP in Durham, NC. Elena gives us a tour of their state-of-the-art clinic where soldiers are receiving HBOT. One of their veteran patients, Simon LeMay, agreed to share his story with us to help spread the hope that exists within the world of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Meet a true American Hero, Simon LeMay, retired Sergeant Major with 25-years in the US Marine Corps. LeMay was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan five times during a ten year period. He lost his best friend in battle and witnessed horrific incidents of violence and injury among his Marine bothers. Although LeMay was blessed to avoid serious physical injury to himself, he did come home with an invisible wound of war.
IED exposures left him with a TBI and visions of war and death haunted him with PTSD. Simon turned to alcohol and pain pills to ease the emotional and physical pain, leading him down a dark tunnel of depression and suicidal thoughts that almost ended in demise.
After hearing about it from friends, his loving family talked him into trying hyperbaric oxygen therapy to help heal his brain injuries. LeMay received treatment at Extivita- RTP in Durham, NC and states after 20-30 treatments he started realizing that he was once again “starting to feel emotion,” with the sense of worthlessness disappearing and the suicidal ideation being no more.
“I started looking forward to the next day,” Simon exclaims.
Also included in this Special Report is a raw and personal interview with Cate, Simon’s wife. Today she is thrilled with Simon’s progress, even calling hyperbaric oxygen therapy “God sent.”
Guest
Organizations
For more information about the guest organizations featured in this special, please click on the links.
North Carolina Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Clinic
Extivita RTP
NC HBOT for Veterans Program
The Community Foundation of NC East
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Recent HBOT News
Clinical Trial – High-flow Oxygen for Vaso-occlusive Pain Crisis
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is characterized by recurrent vaso-occlusive pain crisis (VOC),
which may evolve to acute chest syndrome (ACS), the most common cause of death among adult
patients with SCD. Currently, there is no safe and effective treatment to abort VOC or
prevent secondary ACS. Management of VOC mostly involve a symptomatic approach including
hydration, analgesics, transfusion, and incentive spirometry, which was investigated in a
very limited number of patients (<30).
The polymerisation of HbS is one major feature in the pathogenesis of vaso-occlusion. Among
factors determining the rate and extent of HbS polymer formation, the hypoxic stimulus is one
of the most potent and readily alterable. Current guidelines recommend oxygen therapy in
patients with VOC in order to maintain a target oxygen saturation of 95%. Low-flow nasal
oxygen (LFNO) is routinely used to achieve this normoxia approach, particularly in patients
at risk of secondary ACS because they may experience acute desaturation. In contrast, various
case series suggest a potential beneficial role of intensified oxygen therapy targeting
hyperoxia for the management of VOC, particularly with the use of hyperbaric oxygen, but the
latter is difficult to implement in routine clinical practice.
A recent high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) technology allows the delivery of humidified gas at
high fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) through nasal cannula. The FiO2 can be adjusted up to
100% (allowing hyperoxia that may reverse sickling) and the flow can be increased up to 60
L/min (which generates positive airway pressure and dead space flushing, that may prevent
evolution of VOC towards ACS by alleviating atelectasis and opioid-induced hypercapnia). In
patients with acute respiratory failure, HFNO has been shown to improve patient's comfort,
oxygenation, and survival as compared to standard oxygen or non-invasive ventilation.
The aim of the present study is to test the efficacy and safety of HFNO for the management of
VOC and prevention of secondary ACS. The investigators will use a multi-arm multi-stage
(MAMS) design to achieve these goals. HFNO will be delivered through AIRVO 2 (Fisher and
Paykel Healthcare, New Zealand), a device that incorporates a turbine allowing its use in
hospital wards.
Clinical Trial – Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Allogeneic Peripheral Blood Stem Cell (PBSC) Transplant
Subjects with Acute Myeloblastic Leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) who are
considered eligible for allogeneic stem cell transplant by the transplant team at WCI (Wilmot
Cancer Institute)will be enrolled in the study. Patients will receive Melphalan on day -2 and
HBO (Hyperbaric Oxygen) therapy on day 0 of the transplant. After neutrophil recovery is
documented, the patients will be seen in clinic at least weekly through day +100.
Clinical Trial – Effect of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on Microcirculation
Previous studies shoes that hyperoxia alters microcirculation.The investigators hypothesize
that hyperbaric may restore microcirculation integrity. This hypothesis is supported by a
recent study in rabbits, but no data exists for humans.
The study will expose fifteen healthy volunteers to a succession of different fraction of
inspired oxygen and barometric pressure and assess microcirculatory and macrocirculatory
changes via sidestream dark field videomicroscopy, near-infrared spectroscopy, Laser Doppler,
transthoracic echocardiography and bio-impedancemetry at every step.