Oxygen as a Therapeutic Drug: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Muralidharan1 and Gundu H.R. Rao21Tekna Manufacturing, Chennai, India.
2Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Director, Thrombosis Research, Lillehei Heart Institute, University of Minnesota.
Corresponding Author E-mail : gundurao9@gmail.com
Abstract: In 1885, the first ever recorded use of oxygen was documented for a medical purpose. The medical procedure was, to treat a patient with pneumonia. Oxygen was mainly used in hospitals, to treat patients with a variety of respiratory issues. The first form of portable medical grade oxygen was developed in 1950’s, which led to the clinical use of oxygen therapy. There is considerable observation based, as well as experimental evidence, to suggest that oxygen therapy exerts a significant physiological and pharmacological effects that improves cellular, tissue, and organ oxygenation, exerts anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial effects, and improves tissue repair mechanisms. Despite this knowledge, the oxygen therapy to treat hypoxia related clinical conditions is limited. Since our interest is in the prevention of clinical complications related to cardiometabolic diseases, we discuss in this overview, pre-existing conditions, where oxygen therapy may play a very important role, in preventing hypoxia-mediated cell death, and protect the tissue and organ damage. Stroke affects 33 million individuals, worldwide every year and two-thirds of all strokes, occur in developing countries. Unlike developed countries, where stroke incidence has declined by 42% over the last four decades, stroke incidence rates have increased by >100% in developing, low-to middle-income countries. It is possible, that by developing a combined oxygen therapy (using Normobaric oxygen therapy followed by Hyperbaric oxygen therapy), significant number of stroke-related morbidity and mortality could be reduced. Another area of interest, that needs immediate attention is the COVID-19 related respiratory distress, hypoxia, organ failure and death. Like the stroke condition, early intervention with combined oxygen therapy, will significantly reduce hypoxia mediated, -inflammation, respiratory distress, organ failure and loss of lives, in Covid-19 patients. Efforts are in progress to test this hypothesis, in both stroke patients as well as Covid-19 patients, to validate the benefits or otherwise of combined oxygen therapy, in reducing the morbidity and mortality under these severe illness conditions.
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