Hydrogen Gas Shows Promise for Brain Recovery After Cardiac Arrest
- Authors
- Tomoyoshi Tamura, Masaru Suzuki, Koichiro Homma, Motoaki Sano, Ryoji Iizuka, Hiromichi Narimiya, Ryosuke Tsuruta, Kotaro Kaneda, Motoki Fujita, Junichi Sasaki, Osamu Akasaka, Keisuke Sawai, Makiko Nozaki, Hiroshi Imai, Ken Ishikura, Kaoru Ikejiri, Yasuyuki Kakihana, Shuhei Niiyama, Takahiro Futatsuki, Masahiro Honda, Yasuhiro Ikeda, Hideo Oka, Hideaki Yoshihara, Hirokazu Onishi, Susumu Yamashita, Koki Shimizu, Toshihiro Sakurai, Shu Yamada, Hiroshi Fukami, Nobuaki Shime, Kei Suzuki, Yasuhiro Kuroda, Kenya Kawakita, Akio Kimura, Tatsuki Uemura, Kiyotsugu Takuma, Kunio Kanao, Youichi Yanagawa, Ikuto Takeuchi
- Journal
- eClinicalMedicine
- Year
- 2023
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.101907
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Cardiac Arrest
- Body System
- Cardiovascular
TL;DR
Breathing in hydrogen gas after a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital might help patients survive longer without brain damage, but more research is needed.
Key Finding
Inhaled hydrogen gas did not significantly improve the primary outcome of good neurological recovery at 90 days after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, but secondary outcomes showed significantly higher survival rates (85% vs 61%) and better functional recovery without neurological deficits in the hydrogen group.
Summary
This study tested whether inhaled hydrogen gas could improve brain function and survival in patients who had been revived from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Researchers randomly assigned 73 patients to breathe either oxygen with 2% hydrogen or oxygen alone for 18 hours after their arrest. While the main measure of good brain recovery didn't show a clear benefit from hydrogen, secondary measures suggested hydrogen may have helped patients survive and recover better without lasting brain damage.
Practical Takeaway
This human trial suggests hydrogen inhalation may support survival and functional recovery after cardiac arrest, but the study was smaller than planned due to COVID-19 and did not meet its main statistical goal. Larger, well-designed trials are needed before hydrogen can be recommended as a standard treatment for cardiac arrest patients.
Abstract (excerpt)
Background: Inhaled molecular hydrogen gas (H2) has been shown to improve outcomes in animal models of cardiac arrest (CA). H2 inhalation is safe and feasible in patients after CA. We investigated whether inhaled H2 would improve outcomes after out-of-hospital CA (OHCA). Methods: HYBRID II…