UHMS - Acute Traumatic Brain Injury Argument
History: In 1992, Galen Rockswold, MD, a renowned Neurosurgeon, published that he could reduce mortality among severely brain injured patients by 59% by treating them with hyperbaric oxygen. That is the largest single reduction in mortality in medicine than anything since the invention of the ambulance or penicillin. Dr. Rockswold's discovery has now been replicated by 3 other researchers around the world.
In 2000, Dr. Harch proposed to the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society that they consider acute traumatic brain injury as a new indication on their approved indications list. The presentation was made in the Spring of 2001. In June 2001, the UHMS Scientific committee decided to change their criteria for acceptance rather than approve Acute Traumatic Brain Injury, even though there was more scientific evidence for this indication than for all but 4 of the 13 indications, including decompression sickness. (There were no randomized controlled trials for decompression sickness because everyone knew that permanent death and disability were the results of not treating these patients.)
After the UHMS turned down this neurological application for traumatic brain injury, Dr. Harch and other physicians and interested patients and parents of patients formed the International Hyperbaric Medical Association. It has become the voice of the community interested in making hyperbaric medicine the standard of care for acute and chronic traumatic brain injury, stroke, cerebral palsy, and other neurological indications. In addition, we work to have it used throughout medicine wherever oxygen saturation will cause tissues to heal faster, prevent scar tissue formation, and improve patient outcomes.
For example, IHMA is not just interested in neurological injuries. In 2002, the IHMA had numerous meetings with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and was successful in getting the first new indication for hyperbaric oxygen in 18 years, diabetic foot wounds. The UHMS had been turned down for their "hypoxic wounds" application and petitioned to join IHMA in our request to get diabetic foot wounds approved.
As will be clear from the record (see Diabetic Foot Wounds link), the UHMS requested CMS restrict treatment to Wagner Grade III wounds, when patients would be far better served if they were treated as soon as the non-healing wound occurred.
Today, the IHMA has been very engaged with Veterans groups, the US Marine Corps, and Navy Medicine, to get veterans of the war treated for
their mild traumatic brain injuries.
Rescue for Blunt Trauma, Crush & Acute Traumatic Brain Injury PDF 
Abstract - Hyperbaric oxygen in traumatic brain injury. PDF | 