Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for different severity SARS-Cov-2 patients

Abstract

Introduction: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) emerges as a low-cost alternative for the approach to progressive hypoxia and pulmonary inflammation resulting from COVID-19 pneumonia. It is hypothesized that the application of this therapy in patients with COVID-19 will make it possible to contain a large number of patients in the general ward who do not require admission to an ICU and mechanical respiratory support.
Objective: to report the first results of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 with different degrees of clinical severity treated at the Sanatorio San José in the city of Perico-Jujuy with HBO.
Population and Methods: COVID-positive patients treated who received HBO in addition to conventional treatment according to their symptomatology. The clinical severity of the patients was established with the NEWS2 score and they had to present a value higher than 5 and an oxygen saturation lower than 93%. A multiplace chamber was used for the administration of HBO. The specific mortality rates for each NEWS2 category, the evolution of clinical parameters and survival according to comorbidities were analyzed.
Results: This study included 100 individuals. The overall mortality rate was 11%. A decrease in heart rate and respiratory rate values was observed in patients who survived, while in those who died the rate tended to increase. As for oxygen saturation, all patients had adequate saturation regardless of the degree of clinical severity. Survival was 100% in patients with respiratory disorders and diabetes, while mortality was higher in patients with chronic renal failure and hypertension.
Conclusions: based on our experience, we can affirm that oxygen therapy has become an excellent tool to contain a large number of patients in the general ward without the need to refer them to the ICU.