Hydrogen Gas Combo Therapy Helps COPD Patients After COVID

Authors
Journal
Terapevticheskii Arkhiv
Year
DOI
10.26442/00403660.2025.03.203131
Study Type
Human
Outcome
Positive
Peer Reviewed
Yes
Country
Russia
Health Condition
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Body System
Respiratory

TL;DR

A combination of heated helium-oxygen gas, nitric oxide, and hydrogen gas was found to be safe and more effective in improving the health and breathing of patients with severe lung disease after COVID-19 than using each gas alone.

Key Finding

Patients receiving combined thermal heliox, nitric oxide, and molecular hydrogen showed greater improvements in oxygen exchange, breathing parameters, and exercise tolerance compared to those receiving individual gases or standard treatment alone.

Summary

This study tested whether combining three medical gases—thermal heliox (a helium-oxygen mixture), nitric oxide, and molecular hydrogen—could help patients with severe lung disease (COPD) who had recently had COVID-19 and were experiencing breathing failure and high blood pressure in their lungs. Researchers divided 100 patients into five groups: one receiving all three gases together, three groups receiving different pairs of gases, and a control group receiving standard treatment. The group receiving all three gases together showed the best improvements in oxygen levels, breathing, heart function, and ability to exercise compared to groups receiving individual gases or standard care alone.

Practical Takeaway

This small study suggests that combining molecular hydrogen with other medical gases may support better outcomes in severe post-COVID lung disease, but the findings are limited to hospitalized patients with very specific, severe conditions. The study does not tell us whether hydrogen water (a consumer product) would have similar effects, and much larger studies would be needed before drawing conclusions about practical applications for general health.

Abstract

Aim: To study the efficacy and safety of the combined use of thermal heliox (t-He/O2), nitric oxide (NO) and molecular hydrogen (H2) in patients with exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) complicated by hypoxemic, hypercapnic respiratory failure (RF) and secondary pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in the post-COVID period. Materials and methods: The randomized, comparative, controlled, parallel study included patients (n=100, 52 men and 48 women) with exacerbation of COPD levels of evidence C and D (GOLD 2021-2023) with hypoxemic, hypercapnic respiratory failure and secondary PAH, who had pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 before hospitalization. Patients with similar demographic, clinical, and functional parameters, who received non-invasive ventilation (NIV) and oxygen (O2) along with standard drug therapy, were divided into 5 groups: Group 1 (main): (n=22: 12 men, 10 women, who received t-He/O2, NO, and H2 sequentially); Group 2 (n=20: 10 men, 10 women, who received t-He/O2 and NO); Group 3 (n=20: 11 men, 9 women, who received t-He/O2 and H2); Group 4 (n=18: 10 men, 8 women, who received NO and H2); Group 5 (control) (n=20: 9 men, 11 women). The dynamics of the clinical condition of patients, gas exchange in the lungs, acid-base balance, left-to-right discharge fraction, hemodynamic parameters, and exercise tolerance were assessed. Results: A positive effect of the complex use of medical gases on the clinical condition of patients, gas exchange parameters in the lungs, metabolism, hemodynamic parameters and exercise tolerance was found in comparison with these parameters in patients who received medical gases separately and with the control group. Conclusion: The combination of t-He/O2, NO and H2 with simultaneous pathogenetic therapy and NIV in patients with exacerbation of COPD complicated by hypoxemic, hypercapnic RF and secondary PAH in the post-COVID period is safe and more effective compared to groups receiving each medical gas separately. Complex therapy improves the clinical condition of patients, reduces signs of hypoxemia and hypercapnia, vascular endothelial dysfunction, metabolic disorders and increases tolerance to physical activity by normalizing gas exchange in the lungs, increasing oxygen delivery to tissues, reducing the shunt fraction, and restoring metabolism.