Abstract:
(1) Background: Long COVID syndrome (LCS) is a heterogeneous long-standing condition following COVID-19 infection. Treatment options are limited to symptomatic measures, and no specific medication has been established. Hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) has been found to have a positive impact on the treatment of COVID-19 infection. This study evaluates both the feasibility and outcome of supportive HBO in patients with LCS. (2) Methods: Within 17 months, 70 patients with proven LCS were prospectively included. Each patient underwent a cycle of 10 subsequent HBO treatment sessions administered for 75 min at 2.2 atmospheres. Evaluation of the patients was performed before the first and after the last HBO session and 3 months afterwards. Statistical evaluation was based on an intention-to-treat analysis using Fisher\'s exact test and Student\'s t-test for paired samples. (3) Results: In total, 59 patients (33 females, 26 males; mean age: 43.9 years; range: 23-74 years; median: 45.0) were evaluable. After HBO, a statistically significant improvement of physical functioning (p < 0.001), physical role (p = 0.01), energy (p < 0.001), emotional well-being (p < 0.001), social functioning (p < 0.001), pain (p = 0.01) and reduced limitation of activities (p < 0.001) was confirmed. (4) Conclusions: Physical functioning and both the physical and emotional role improved significantly and sustainably, suggesting HBO as a promising supportive therapeutic tool for the treatment of LCS.
摘要:
(1)背景:长型COVID综合征(LCS)是COVID-19感染后的长期异质性疾病。治疗方案仅限于对症措施,还没有确定具体的药物。已发现高压氧(HBO)对COVID-19感染的治疗具有积极影响。这项研究评估了支持性HBO在LCS患者中的可行性和结果。(2)方法:17个月内,前瞻性纳入了70例确诊的LCS患者。每位患者在2.2个大气压下进行持续75分钟的10次后续HBO治疗。在第一次和最后一次HBO治疗之前以及3个月后对患者进行评估。统计评估基于对配对样品使用Fisher精确检验和Studentt检验的意向治疗分析。(3)结果:总的来说,59名患者(33名女性,26名男性;平均年龄:43.9岁;范围:23-74岁;中位数:45.0)可评估。HBO之后,身体功能的统计学显着改善(p<0.001),身体作用(p=0.01),能量(p<0.001),情绪幸福感(p<0.001),社会功能(p<0.001),疼痛(p=0.01)和活动限制降低(p<0.001)得到证实。(4)结论:身体功能和身体和情感的作用显著和可持续的改善,表明HBO是治疗LCS的一种有前途的支持性治疗工具。