Efficacy of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Laryngectomy Patients

This study is designed to develop a predictive model for the development of wound complications in patients undergoing laryngectomy surgery for laryngeal/adjoining structure cancers, and to evaluate the clinical efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen for the prevention/management of wound complications in this previously irradiated population. The eligibility profile welcomes the involvement of patients in need of laryngectomies for newly diagnosed cancers and for failed chemoradiation. Patients are afforded the opportunity to be cared for by some of the most distinguished head \& neck surgeons and hyperbaric medicine physicians at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, the oldest teaching medical facility in the country, as well as the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center. In addition, participants will be contributing to a body of research uncovering new methods for the assessment of tissue/tumor oxygenation, modeling to promote early wound complication identification, and confirming the role of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the care and prevention of these problem wounds.