The aim of this study is to investigate the healing effect of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) on colonic anastomoses in the presence of experimentally induced peritonitis. Thirty-two rats were allocated randomly into short-term anastomosis (STA), short-term anastomosis + HBO treatment (STA+HBO), long-term anastomosis (LTA), and long-term anastomosis + HBO (LTA+HBO) treatment groups. The STA and LTA groups were administered fluid resuscitation and antibiotics for 3 and 7 days, respectively, whereas the HBO treatment groups received additional HBO therapy for 3 and 7 days, respectively. The rats were reoperated on the third and the seventh days of anostomoses for evaluation. The bursting pressures in STA+HBO and LTA+HBO therapy groups were significantly higher than those in groups with anastomoses alone (p < .001 and p < .01). HBO therapy did not affect the fibrotic index neither in STA nor in LTA groups (p > .05 for both); however, it was significantly higher in LTA+HBO group than that in STA+HBO group (p < .05). The hydroxyproline level was significantly higher in LTA group than in STA group (p < .05), yet HBO therapy did not affect the hydroxyproline levels in STA or LTA groups (p < .05 for both). It is concluded that hyperbaric oxygen treatment has positive effects on colonic anastomotic healing in case of peritonitis.
