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. 2021 Apr;16(3):669-675.
doi: 10.1007/s11739-020-02542-6. Epub 2020 Nov 1.

Blood ozonization in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 pneumonia: a single centre experience

Carlo Tascini  1 , Giovanni Sermann  2 , Alberto Pagotto  3 , Emanuela Sozio  3   4 , Chiara De Carlo  3 , Alessandro Giacinta  3 , Francesco Sbrana  5 , Andrea Ripoli  6 , Nadia Castaldo  3 , Maria Merelli  3 , Barbara Cadeo  3 , Cristiana Macor  2 , Amato De Monte  2
Affiliations

Blood ozonization in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 pneumonia: a single centre experience

Carlo Tascini et al. Intern Emerg Med. 2021 Apr.

Abstract

The emerging outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to spread worldwide. We prescribed some promising medication to our patients with mild to moderate pneumonia due to SARS-CoV-2, however such drugs as chloroquine, hydrossichloroquine, azithromycin, antivirals (lopinavir/ritonavir, darunavir/cobicistat) and immunomodulating agents (steroids, tocilizumab) were not confirmed as effective against SARS-CoV2. We, therefore, started to use auto-hemotherapy treated with an oxygen/ozone (O2/O3) gaseous mixture as adjuvant therapy. In Udine University Hospital (Italy) we performed a case-control study involving hospitalized adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 with mild to moderate pneumonia. Clinical presentations are based upon clinical phenotypes identified by the Italian Society of Emergency and Urgency Medicine (SIMEU-Società Italiana di Medicina di Emergenza-Urgenza) and patients that met criteria of phenotypes 2 to 4 were treated with best available therapy (BAT), with or without O3-autohemotherapy. 60 patients were enrolled in the study: 30 patients treated with BAT and O2/O3 mixture, as adjuvant therapy and 30 controls treated with BAT only. In the group treated with O3-autohemotherapy plus BAT, patients were younger but with more severe clinical phenotypes. A decrease of SIMEU clinical phenotypes was observed (2.70 ± 0.67 vs. 2.35 ± 0.88, p = 0.002) in all patients during hospitalization but this clinical improvement was statistically significant only in O3-treated patients (2.87 ± 0.78 vs. 2.27 ± 0.83, p < 0.001), differently to the control group (2.53 ± 0.51 vs. 2.43 ± 0.93, p = 0.522). No adverse events were observed associated with the application of O2/O3 gaseous mixture. O2/O3 therapy as adjuvant therapy could be useful in mild to moderate pneumonia due to SARS-CoV-2. Randomized prospective study is ongoing [Clinical Trials.gov ID: Z7C2CA5837].

Keywords: Autotransfusion; COVID-19; Cytokine release syndrome (CRS); Lipid ozonation products; Medical O3; O3 gas; O3 therapy; Oxidative stress; Reactive oxidative species; SARS-CoV-2.

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Conflict of interest statement

C.T. has received funds for speaking at symposia organized on behalf of Pfizer, Novartis, Merck, Angelini, Zambon, Thermofischer, Biotest, Gilead, Hikma, Biomerieux and Astellas. All other authors: None.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Comparison of clinical classes in subjects treated with blood ozonation compared to controls
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Change in clinical classes before and after blood ozonization during the hospital stay
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