A breath of hope
BY KIM ARCHER World Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Learn more about the OSU Center for Aerospace and Hyperbaric Medicine and its research.
David Moyers is hoping that
his work in a research study
at Oklahoma State University
will help veterans who have
suffered traumatic brain injuries
regain their lives.
As a Navy veteran, he takes it
personally.
“You got guys getting rattled
by IEDs multiple times,” Moyers
said. “They come home and their
spouse is not the same person they
married. You’re talking about the
destruction of the family.
The OSU Center for Aerospace
and Hyperbaric Medicine in
Tulsa is conducting research to see
whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy
will regenerate brain tissue in
people who have suffered traumatic
brain injury.
Already, small studies and anecdotal
evidence have shown marked
improvement in treating brain injuries
with pressurized oxygen.
Dr. Paul Harch, president of the
International Hyperbaric Medical Foundation and a renowned
expert in the field, determined
in a small study of veterans
that their IQs increased
15 points and headaches
and sleep disturbances were
significantly reduced in little
more than a month of therapy.
They also saw a 51 percent
reduction in depression.
The project is part of a nationwide
multicenter study
in which more than 1,000
subjects will participate
through at least 2014.
If it is determined that
hyperbaric oxygen therapy
works for traumatic brain
injury, the study will go to
the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid to have it recognized
as an official treatment,
Moyers said.
OSU has the largest hyperbaric
chamber in the state.
It is large enough to take 12
participants at a time.
The theory is that by taking
a brain injury patient to a
depth of oxygen pressurization
of 1.5 atmospheres at
least 40 times, the patient’s
brain will become saturated
with enough oxygen to heal
the injury, Moyers said.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
is widely used for diabetic
wounds, based on the same
idea.
Tulsa attorney Terry Funk
has been a participant in
the study for the last couple
of weeks. A former Marine,
he suffered several head
injuries in the past, including
a car accident in which
he was thrown 114 feet
from the wreckage. He has
experienced problems with
concentration and memory.
“This TBI project, if it
is as good as we’ve seen so
far, could be a major breakthrough,”
he said.
LaDonna Lacey, the OSU
center’s director of research
development, said research
participants aren’t limited to
just veterans. Anyone ages 18
to 65 with a traumatic brain
injury may participate, if
specific medical guidelines
are met.
Brain injuries can be
caused by car accidents,
sports injuries or other
traumas.
“If it works out, the ramifications
are it could work
for anybody with a traumatic
brain injury,” Moyers said.
The research is now unfunded,
so OSU must pay for
its part, Lacey said.
She would like to get
research funding donated
by nonprofit foundations
because it costs about $8,000
per participant, she said.
“It’s really our preference
to have funded studies,”
Lacey said.
Moyers said many nonprofit
foundations channel
their donations into familytype
services.
“This is a screamin’ family
issue. There’s not much out
there now to help,” he said.
“No matter what answer you
get in research, it will add to
our body of knowledge.
But if it helps, it would be
huge.
“What excites me is the
outcome if it works,” Lacey
said. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful
if we had a treatment
to help people with traumatic
brain injuries get it
fixed?”
Kim Archer 581-8315
kim.archer@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Terry Funk lies in a hyperbaric chamber. Funk is taking part in research into the use of oxygen in treating traumatic brain injuries being done by the
Center for Aerospace and Hyperbaric Medicine. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World
A diver-down flag hangs on a window as hyperbaric chamber
research on traumatic brain injuries is performed by the Center for
Aerospace and Hyperbaric Medicine. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World
Terry Funk is taking pressurized oxygen treatment as part of
research being performed by OSU Center for Health Sciences as
a possible treatment for traumatic brain injuries. The research is
part of the Center for Aerospace and Hyperbaric Medicine.
MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World
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