HOLLT stands
for Hyperbaric Oxygen in Lower Limb Trauma. This is an international
multi-centre, randomised controlled medical research study which aims
to assess the benefit of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) in the acute
stages of managing severe lower leg injuries.
HOLLT is
an international multi-centre, randomised controlled trial which aims
to assess the benefit of providing hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) during
the acute stages of management of severe lower leg injuries, as an adjunct
to normal trauma care. It is being conducted by an international network
of trauma centres with hyperbaric treatment facilities. The HOLLT Study
Coordinating Centre is within the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive
Medicine at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. The study design
is based upon a pilot study previously undertaken by The Alfred Hyperbaric
Service which is located on the same campus.
The study
commenced enrolments at The Alfred Hospital in January 2007 and at five
other collaborating sites over the course of 2007. A number of additional
sites plan to join the collaboration over the course of 2008. The study
aims to enrol its target of 250 subjects over approximately 3 years
and follow up will continue for two years after the last enrolment.
At this stage, further collaborators are still being sought.
The Transport
Accident Commission has granted funding for the first 2.5 years of operation
of the Study Centre and Australia’s National Health and Medical
Research Council has recently granted a further five year of funding
to cover the full duration of follow up. This is a collaborative, investigator
led study however and most of the costs of enrolling patients at each
study site are dependent upon collaborators having local resources or
achieving local funding to enable participation.
Click here
to download the June 2010 HOLLT Newsletter
Principal
Investigator : Dr Ian Millar, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
Tel: +61
(0)3 9903 0926
Fax: +61 (0)3 9903 0576
Email: hollt@med.monash.edu.au
www.hollt.org
"Does
decompression illness lead to release of protein markers for neuronal
damage into cerebrospinal fluid?"
Study design
The participants (n=20) will be consecutive recompression-treated DCI
patients at the Hyperbaric Medicine Centre at Sahlgrenska University
Hospital. All recompression-treated DCI patients routinely undergo echocardiography
to detect patent foramen ovale (PFO) that may increase the risk of serious
DCI. One week and three months after recompression treatment the participants
will undergo lumbar puncture for collection of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
The CSF will be analysed for protein markers of neuronal damage. Finally,
all results will be compared to those obtained from an age-matched healthy
control group of individuals (n=10) who do not dive but gets recompressed,
and another control group of healthy divers (n=10) one week after an
uncomplicated dive. Based on a previous study on amateur boxers among
whom we detected a 50% increase in mean tau concentration in CSF after
bout the participant number of 20 + 10 + 10 in each arm of this study
yields a power of >85% when calculated according to Altman.
This study
is seeking to expand it's subject numbers by participation of other
hyperbaric centers.
Please
contact Per Arnell at
Sahlgrenska
Universitetssjukhuset
Område Östra
Tele: +46-(0)31 - 343 60 22
Mob: +46-(0)709 - 439622
Fax: +46-(0)31 - 3434490
per.arnell@vgregion.se
