Keywords
Therapy
Hyperbaric
COVID-19
Mortality
Argentina
NEWS2
HBO
Categories
How to Cite
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.
References
2. WHO. WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 - 11 March 2020. in (2020).
3. Rearte, A. et al. Características epidemiológicas de los primeros 116 974 casos de COVID-19 en Argentina. Rev Argent Salud Publica (2020).
4. Ministerio de Salud de la Nación. Sala de Situación Coronavirus online. https://www.argentina.gob.ar/salud/coronavirus-COVID-19/sala-situacion (2021).
5. Gobierno de Jujuy. Boletin Epidemiologico de la Provincia de Jujuy. Noviembre de 2020. 1–11 (2020).
6. Weaver, L. K. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Indications. 172 (2014).
7. Thibodeaux, K., Speyrer, M., Raza, A., Yaakov, R. & Serena, T. E. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in preventing mechanical ventilation in COVID-19 patients: a retrospective case series. J. Wound Care 29, S4–S8 (2020).
8. National Early Warning Score (NEWS) 2. RCP London https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/projects/outputs/national-early-warning-score-news-2 (2017).
9. Plafki, C., Peters, P., Almeling, M., Welslau, W. & Busch, R. Complications and side effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Aviat. Space Environ. Med. 71, 119–124 (2000).
10. Carr, E. et al. Evaluation and improvement of the National Early Warning Score (NEWS2) for COVID-19: a multi-hospital study. BMC Med. 19, 23 (2021).
11. Gidari, A., Socio, G. V. D., Sabbatini, S. & Francisci, D. Predictive value of National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) for intensive care unit admission in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Infect. Dis. 52, 698–704 (2020).
12. Docherty, A. B. et al. Features of 20 133 UK patients in hospital with covid-19 using the ISARIC WHO Clinical Characterisation Protocol: prospective observational cohort study. BMJ m1985 (2020) doi:10.1136/bmj.m1985.
13. Poblete, G., Cox, W., Dasso, A. & Begher, S. Características epidemiológicas y clínicas de pacientes internados con COVID-19 en la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Actual. En Sida E Infectol. (2021).
14. González, S. E. et al. TERAPIA CON PLASMA DE CONVALECIENTES EN PACIENTES COVID-19 EN LA PROVINCIA DE BUENOS AIRES. Medicina (Mex.) 8 (2020).
15. Cobas-Planchez, L., Mezquia-de-Pedro, N. & Armenteros-Terán, S. S. Características clínicas de pacientes con sospecha de COVID-19 ingresados en el hospital “Frank País García”, La Habana. Rev. Electrónica Dr Zoilo E Mar. Vidaurreta 45, (2020).
16. Armstrong, R. A., Kane, A. D. & Cook, T. M. Outcomes from intensive care in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Anaesthesia 75, 1340–1349 (2020).
17. University of Toledo Medical Center et al. Physiologic and biochemical rationale for treating COVID-19 patients with hyperbaric oxygen. Undersea Hyperb. Med. 1–12 (2021) doi:10.22462/01.03.2021.1.
18. Steinemann, S. Medical School Hotline. Hawaii J. Health Soc. Welf. 80, 15–16 (2021).
19. De Maio, A. & Hightower, L. E. COVID-19, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT): what is the link? Cell Stress Chaperones 25, 717–720 (2020).
20. Harrison, M. F. et al. Oxygen therapy via a noninvasive helmet: A COVID-19 novelty with potential post-pandemic uses. Respir. Med. Case Rep. 32, 101369 (2021).
The magazine does not retain the reproduction rights (copyright) so the authors can republish their works with the sole mention of the original publication source.