Long-Term Findings on Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Long COVID Treatment: Amir Hadanny, MD, PhD

WATCH TIME: 5 minutes

"The long-term results are under review, and once published, they will provide valuable insights, eliminating the current limitation of a 2-month evaluation. Also, the sample size limitations in our trial underscore the difficulty of recruiting a substantial number of patients in a short timeframe, despite the critical need for effective long COVID treatments."

Long COVID, a condition following the infection of COVID-19 in a patient, is associated with symptoms such as breathlessness, cough, fatigue, ‘brain fog’, anxiety and depression. According to a previous study published in the Clinical Medicine Journal – London, one of the most reported symptoms among patients with long COVID is fatigue.¹ The current treatment options for patients with long COVID are few, with even more limited therapies for those who have fatigue from the condition, and thus, there is an increasing need more effective treatment.

A recent randomized controlled trial published in Scientific Reports demonstrated beneficial effects on neurocognitive functions and symptoms when using a specific hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) protocol among patients with long COVID.² Coauthor Amir Hadanny, MD, PhD, and colleagues, assessed the impact of HBOT in 73 post-COVID-19 patients for at least 3 months. After HBOT, investigators observed a significant group-by-time interaction in global cognitive function (d = .495; P = .038), attention (d = .477; P = .04) and executive function (d = .463; P = .05).

In a recent interview with NeurologyLive®, Hadanny, a neurosurgeon and the chief medical research officer and head of research at Aviv Clinics, discussed the challenges that researchers face in conducting long-term evaluations of COVID treatments, and how they are addressing these issues. Hadanny talked about how the limitation of sample size impacts the reliability and generalizability of findings in trials focused on treating long COVID and the need for further assessment. In addition, he spoke about the ways the unique combination of pressurized air and 100% oxygen in a metal chamber helps to contribute to the healing process for brain injuries.

REFERENCES
1. Robbins T, Gonevski M, Clark C, et al. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the treatment of long COVID: early evaluation of a highly promising intervention. Clin Med (Lond). 2021;21(6):e629-e632. doi:10.7861/clinmed.2021-0462
2. Leitman M, Fuchs S, Tyomkin V, Hadanny A, Zilberman-Itskovich S, Efrati S. The effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on myocardial function in post-COVID-19 syndrome patients: a randomized controlled trial. Sci Rep. 2023;13(1):9473. Published 2023 Jun 10. doi:10.1038/s41598-023-36570-x