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In the relentless battle against COVID-19, medical researchers continue to explore innovative treatments to combat the virus’s devastating effects. One such groundbreaking approach is hyperbaric oxygen therapy, hailed for its potential to rejuvenate the immune system and enhance patient recovery.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves administering 100 percent oxygen to patients at a pressure equivalent to 10-20 meters below sea level. While the method has been utilized for nearly a century, its efficacy in treating COVID-19 remained largely unexplored until now.
Anders Kjellberg, Deputy Chief Physician and Head of the Hyperbaric Unit at Karolinska University Hospital, embarked on a quest to unravel the mysteries of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. His pioneering research seeks to determine optimal dosage strategies tailored to individual patients, addressing a critical gap in current clinical knowledge.
However, Kjellberg’s meticulous investigations faced an unexpected interruption with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Seizing the opportunity to apply his expertise to the pressing healthcare crisis, Kjellberg redirected his focus towards evaluating hyperbaric oxygen therapy’s efficacy in treating acute COVID-19 cases.
“We had patients with oxygen deficiency and uncontrolled inflammation. They had exactly the problems that hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help with,” Kjellberg explains.
In a groundbreaking study involving 17 COVID-19 patients across three hospitals, Kjellberg observed remarkable outcomes following hyperbaric oxygen therapy administration. Patients who received the treatment exhibited significantly improved vital parameters, including pulse, respiratory rate, and oxygenation, facilitating earlier discharge and enhanced recovery.
The treatment’s mechanism of action lies in its ability to subject immune cells to stress, prompting the elimination of dysfunctional cells and fostering the regeneration of a rejuvenated immune cell population.
Buoyed by the success of acute COVID-19 trials, Kjellberg has embarked on a new frontier: investigating hyperbaric oxygen therapy’s potential benefits for post-COVID patients. An ongoing study involving 80 individuals aims to elucidate the treatment’s efficacy in alleviating lingering symptoms and accelerating recovery in post-COVID syndrome, or Long COVID.
“The results will come later in the year,” Kjellberg eagerly anticipates.
On February 16, 2024, Kjellberg defended his doctoral thesis titled “Randomised clinical trials with hyperbaric oxygen in COVID-19 and Long COVID: transcriptomic insights into benefits and harms,” marking a significant milestone in the quest to harness hyperbaric oxygen therapy’s transformative potential in combating COVID-19 and its aftermath.
