Hydrogen Gas Shows Promise for Heart Surgery Emergency Recovery
Hydrogen's Feasibility and Safety as a Therapy in Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (Hydrogen-FAST): study protocol for a trial of inhaled hydrogen gas as an adjunctive therapy in refractory cardiac arrest
Research hubs: Cardiovascular System · Respiratory System
- Evidence type
- Randomized controlled trial · Human study
- Authors
- Victoria Habet, Tysen DeWaard, Krislyn M Boggs, Alix Fetch, Bao Nguyen Puente, Lynn A Sleeper, John N Kheir
- Journal
- Trials
- Year
- 2025
- PMID
- 41204320
- Study Type
- Human
- Participants
- 53
- Delivery
- Gas
- Dose
- 2% H2 gas delivered continuously for 72 hours via mechanical ventilator and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) circuit
- H₂ concentration
- 2% H2 gas
- Duration
- 72 days
- Funding
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) (1R33HL164373-01); National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) (1R61HL164373-01); Mooney Family Foundation
- Conflicts of interest
- None declared
- Outcome
- Neutral
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 4 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- United States
TL;DR
The Hydrogen-FAST trial is a phase 1 RCT assessing the feasibility and safety of inhaled hydrogen gas during ECPR in congenital heart disease patients. It uses 2% H₂ over 72 hours via ECMO to reduce ischemia-reperfusion injury.
Key Finding
The Hydrogen-FAST trial is a phase 1 study designed to test the feasibility and safety of inhaled hydrogen gas during emergency heart resuscitation, with results expected to inform whether larger studies should be conducted.
Summary
This study is testing whether inhaled hydrogen gas can be safely given to patients in cardiac arrest who are on life support machines (ECPR). Researchers will give 53 patients either standard care or standard care plus hydrogen gas for 72 hours to see if the treatment is feasible to deliver and doesn't cause harm. The goal is to determine if hydrogen might reduce damage from lack of oxygen that occurs during cardiac arrest.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage clinical trial in an emergency setting (cardiac arrest), not a study of hydrogen water for general health. The study will only tell us whether hydrogen gas can be safely administered in this specific critical care scenario—it is not designed to prove whether it actually improves patient outcomes. Results are not yet available.
Abstract (excerpt)
Background: Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) improves survival for patients experiencing refractory cardiac arrest but is often associated with severe ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). Hydrogen gas (H2) has demonstrated promising preclinical efficacy in reducing IRI…