Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. and has remained a leading cause of adult disability with 800,000 cases reported every year. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been shown to help prevent and treat stroke through a number of different mechanisms. HBOT can be used to precondition the brain by stimulating angiogenesis, thus producing more circulatory pathways throughout the brain and potentially decreasing the chance of stroke. Also, this has been shown to benefit post-stroke patients, as compromised blood flow to the affected brain tissue (penumbra) and its functionality is recoverable by introducing increased levels of oxygen.
Studies have demonstrated the benefits of HBOT for stroke with the following: