Hydrogen Gas Combo Therapy Helps COPD Patients After COVID
- Authors
- Ludmila V. Shogenova
- Journal
- Terapevticheskii Arkhiv
- Year
- 2025
- 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 (excerpt)
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…