Background: Diabetic foot, an entity with great polymorphism, includes from minimal to catastrophic injuries like gangrene. Treatment is debridement, infection management, and revascularization procedures when indicated. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy improves tissue hypoxia and promotes fibroblast proliferation. Goals: To determine the effectiveness of adjuvant hyperbaric oxygen therapy as a treatment that increase fibroblasts production in diabetic foot wounds. Methods: Randomized double blind clinical trial; in patients with Diabetic Foot Wagner II-IV category WHO, attended at the Hyperbaric and Undersea medical Service of the Naval Hospital of Specialties in Veracruz. Inclusion criteria were ages from 40 to 60 years, and with Central glucose levels <140 mg / dL. Two groups were studied: one with conventional treatment and another with conventional treatment plus hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Fibroblast proliferation was measured by means of 2 incisional wound biopsies, taken before and after treatment. The variables used were: occupation, education, age and sex. The statistical analysis was descriptive and inferential, with T student for independent and related samples, and with P <0.05 to test hypotheses. Results: 50 patients were evaluated. Average age was 59.6 ± 7.2 years. 28 patients were men (56%) and 22 women (44%). The intervention group consisted of 23 patients and it was possible to demonstrate an increase in fibroblasts as represented by a count of 305.652 / mm3, while the Control group was formed by 27 patients and with a count of 73.333 / mm3. The use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy as an adjunctive treatment showed greater effectiveness for the management of diabetic foot wounds when compared with conventional treatment since the patients presented improvements in fibroblast count and proliferation, as well as in the healing of chronic ulcers.
