What it is
Necrotizing soft tissue infections — the "flesh-eating" infections — spread along tissue planes with terrifying speed, destroying skin, fat, and muscle. Survival depends on immediate surgery and antibiotics.
How hyperbaric oxygen helps
These infections create expanding zones of dead, oxygen-free tissue where bacteria flourish and antibiotics struggle. HBOT re-oxygenates the margins: it halts anaerobic growth, restores white blood cells' ability to kill (they need oxygen for their respiratory burst), sharpens the line between dead and living tissue for surgeons, and improves several antibiotics' penetration.
What treatment looks like
Aggressive and early: often twice-daily 90-minute sessions at 2.0–2.5 ATA between surgical debridements, then daily until the infection is controlled — commonly 5–30 sessions.
- Studies associate adjunctive HBOT with lower mortality and fewer debridements.
- Hospital-coordinated, insurance-covered emergency care.
The evidence, honestly
Grade A — Strong Evidence
Supported by randomized trials and/or decades of consistent clinical results.
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Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for necrotizing soft tissue infections: a systematic review
Anaesthesia and Intensive Care · 2015 · review
Systematic review reporting associations between adjunctive HBOT and reduced mortality in necrotizing soft tissue infections, while noting the absence of randomized trials.
Common questions
Does HBOT reduce the amount of tissue removed?
That's one of its main goals. By keeping borderline tissue alive and defining the infection's true edge, it can reduce how much surgeons must remove — and studies associate it with improved survival.
Educational content, not medical advice — see our medical disclaimer. *Medicare coverage requires meeting clinical criteria; we verify yours for free. Last medically reviewed July 2026 by Dr. David Greene, MD.