Hyperbaric Oxygen for COVID-19 Patients With Moderate to Severe Hypoxemia

Of the many treatments proposed for COVID-19, few directly address the severe hypoxia among COVID-19 patients. Interim results from our single-center, non-randomized clinical trial (NCT04332081) suggest that hyperbaric oxygen therapy may reduce inpatient mortality or the need for mechanical ventilation among COVID-19 patients by more than half. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is delivered by increasing the atmospheric pressure surrounding a patient, which results in increased oxygen delivery to a patient's blood at a rate higher than any other available modality. It is already FDA-approved for several indications, including conditions with impaired gas exchange and severe infectious processes. Furthermore, several studies have found that hyperbaric oxygen therapy inhibits the production of proinflammatory cytokines, which may play a role in the pathophysiology of COVID-19. The goal of this proposal is to perform a multi-center, randomized controlled trial to evaluate the short-term and long-term efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for COVID-19 patients. This proposal will rigorously test whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy can reduce the substantial mortality and morbidity of this challenging disease.