Postoperative Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments to Reduce Complications in Diabetic Patients Undergoing Vascular Surgery

HBO treatment will be given in a monoplace chamber and will start on first postoperative day (study day 1). The HBO group will be treated with 100% oxygen at 2.5 bar for 100 min with two 10 min airbrakes (without mask). HBO treatment will be given twice daily first three days (study day 1-3) and then once daily for up to three days (study day 4-6). The total number of treatments will be at least 6 and at most 9 treatments. Patients who have received at least three days HBO/placebo treatment and who have a clearly uncomplicated postoperative course will terminate HBO/placebo treatment on the day of discharge from hospital.

HBO sham treatment will start on first postoperative day (study day 1). HBO sham treatment will be given twice daily first three days (study day 1-3) and then once daily for up to three days (study day 4-6). The total number of treatments will be at least 6 and at most 9 treatments. Patients who have received at least three days HBO sham treatments and who have a clearly uncomplicated postoperative course will terminate HBO sham treatment on the day of discharge from hospital. For patient blinding purposes, the sham group will breathe air and will be given a brief compression to 1.5 bar at the beginning of each treatment after which the chamber is slowly decompressed to 1.1, 1.2 , 1.3, or 1.4 bar corresponding to 0.23 ,0.25, 0.27, and 0.29 bar inspired oxygen. Two 10 min "airbrakes" will also be included.