Lake Forest Hospital

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

for Ulcerative Colitis

Chronic intestinal hypoxia and accompanying mucosal inflammation is a hallmark of ulcerative colitis (UC). Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) involves breathing 100% oxygen under increased atmospheric pressure to increase tissue oxygenation. Two small prospective randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that the delivery of HBOT to UC patients hospitalized for acute moderate to severe flares results in improved remission rates and avoidance of in-hospital progression to biologics, small molecules, or colectomy. In this larger trial the study aims to confirm the treatment benefits of HBOT for hospitalized UC patients and study the immune-microbe mechanisms underpinning treatment response.