MDHyperbaric Launches Pilot Study for Long COVID Patients

NEW YORK, NY, July 20, 2022 – MDHyperbaric, a leading hyperbaric oxygen therapy practice, announced today a pilot study utilizing hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for the treatment of patients with Long COVID. As part of the study, 30 patients will receive 10 free treatments over the course of two weeks at MDHyperbaric’s Manhattan Center. Each HBOT session will last 60 minutes and will be supervised by a trained hyperbaric technician.

MDHyperbaric is a New York-based treatment center practicing under the supervision of Medical Director, Dr. Martin J. O’Malley, MD. A renowned orthopedic surgeon, certified hyperbaric practitioner and member of Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS), Dr. O’Malley has been using HBOT successfully for recovery from surgery and wounds since December 2021.

“Recent evidence shows that patients suffering from Long COVID experience a dramatic improvement in symptoms after undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy. We have seen similar, promising results in our practice, where a number of patients with Long COVID have reached out to us for HBOT treatment,” said Dr. O’Malley. “All our patients have showed marked improvement in fatigue and respiratory symptoms. This anecdotal data has prompted us to launch pilot study and potentially help more patients overcome the debilitating effects of Long COVID.”

Some people who have been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 can experience long-term effects from their infection, known as post-COVID conditions (PCC) or Long COVID (1). Patients who are struggling with lingering symptoms are actively seeking methods to resolve their complications. One systematic review of eight articles found that HBOT seems to be a safe and effective oxygenation method in patients with COVID-19 (2). One recent evaluation of HBOT for Long COVID treatment, found highly encouraging results including a statistically significant improvement on the Chalder fatigue scale, global cognition, executive function, attention, information processing, and verbal function (3). Another recent study found that patients experienced better brain function and fewer cognitive, psychiatric, and physical Long COVID symptoms after receiving HBOT (4).

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a painless, non-invasive medical therapy that enhances the body’s natural healing process by breathing in 100% oxygen in a pressurized chamber. HBOT optimizes healing at the cellular level, making it a beneficial treatment for a wide variety of conditions and circumstances. More specifically, HBOT is being studied as an effective form of treatment for Long COVID due to its ability to reverse hypoxia, reduce neuro-inflammation, and improve tissue oxygenation.

Individuals suffering from Long COVID who are interested in learning more about their eligibility for MDHyperbaric’s study should visit here for more information.

About MDHyperbaric

MDHyperbaric is a New York-based hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatment center practicing under the supervision of Medical Director, Dr. Martin J. O’Malley, MD, a renowned orthopedic surgeon, certified hyperbaric practitioner and member of Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS). Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a painless, non-invasive medical therapy that enhances the body’s natural healing process by breathing in 100% oxygen in a pressurized chamber. MD Hyperbaric has used HBOT successfully for recovery from surgery and wounds and to address Long COVID, anti-aging, autoimmune diseases, neurology, orthopaedics, cognitive performance, and athlete recovery. For more information about MDHyperbaric, please visit mdhyperbaric.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

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(1) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Long Covid or post-covid conditions. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved July 12, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/long-term-effects/index.html 

(2) Oliaei, S., SeyedAlinaghi, S., Mehrtak, M. et al. The effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) on coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19): a systematic review. Eur J Med Res 26, 96 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40001-021-00570-2 

(3) Robbins T, Gonevski M, Clark C, Baitule S, Sharma K, Magar A, Patel K, Sankar S, Kyrou I, Ali A, Randeva HS. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the treatment of long COVID: early evaluation of a highly promising intervention. Clin Med (Lond). 2021 Nov;21(6):e629-e632. doi: 10.7861/clinmed.2021-0462. PMID: 34862223; PMCID: PMC8806311. 

(4) Zilberman-Itskovich, S., Catalogna, M., Sasson, E. et al. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves neurocognitive functions and symptoms of post-COVID condition: randomized controlled trial. Sci Rep 12, 11252 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-15565-0