Special Saline Solution Cuts COVID-19 Hospitalization Risk by 92%
Patient-Reported Health Outcomes After Treatment of COVID-19 with Nebulized and/or Intravenous Neutral Electrolyzed Saline Combined with Usual Medical Care Versus Usual Medical care alone: A Randomized, Open-Label, Controlled Trial
Research hubs: Respiratory System
- Evidence type
- Randomized controlled trial · Human study
- Authors
- Ivan Delgado-Enciso, Juan Paz-Garcia, Carlos E Barajas-Saucedo, Karen A Mokay-Ramírez, Carmen Meza-Robles, Rodrigo Lopez-Flores, Marina Delgado-Machuca, Efren Murillo-Zamora, Jose A. Toscano-Velazquez, Josuel Delgado-Enciso, Valery Melnikov, Mireya Walle-Guillen, Hector R. Galvan-Salazar, Osiris G. Delgado-Enciso, Ariana Cabrera-Licona, José Guzman-Esqu, Daniel A. Montes-Galindo, Alejandra E. Hernandez-Rangel, Patricia Montes-Diaz, Iram P Rodriguez-Sanchez, Margarita L Martinez-Fierro, Idalia Garza-Veloz, Daniel Tiburcio-Jimenez, Sergio A Zaizar-Fregoso, Mario Ramirez-Flores, Gustavo Gaytan-Sandoval, Carlos R. Martinez-Perez, Francisco Espinoza-Gómez, Fabián Rojas-Larios, Michael J. Hirsch-Meillon, Enrique Barrios-Navarro, Vladimir Oviedo-Rodriguez, Luz M. Baltazar Rodriguez, Brenda A. Paz-Michel
- Journal
- Research Square
- Year
- 2020
- PMID
- 32935090
- Study Type
- Human
- Participants
- 84
- Delivery
- Saline (Electrolysis)
- Duration
- 20 days
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 14 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- Mexico
TL;DR
A treatment using a special saline solution reduced hospitalization risk and improved symptoms in COVID-19 patients without causing serious side effects.
Key Finding
Patients with COVID-19 who received intravenous and/or nebulized electrolyzed saline combined with usual medical care had a 92% lower risk of hospitalization and were 43 times more likely to report acceptable symptom improvement by day 5 compared to usual care alone.
Summary
This study tested whether a special salt solution created through electrolysis (a process that uses electricity to create reactive chemicals) could help COVID-19 patients when added to standard medical care. Researchers gave 45 patients the electrolyzed saline solution either through an IV, as a nebulizer (inhaled mist), or both, plus usual care, while 39 patients received usual care alone. Over 20 days, patients receiving the electrolyzed saline had much lower rates of hospitalization and reported feeling significantly better by day 5 compared to the control group.
Practical Takeaway
While this study shows promising results for electrolyzed saline in COVID-19 treatment, it was relatively small (84 total patients) and open-label (participants knew which treatment they received), which can introduce bias. The findings suggest electrolyzed saline may have immunomodulatory effects, but larger, blinded studies would be needed to confirm these results before drawing firm conclusions about its effectiveness. This research does not directly address hydrogen water, which is a different product.
Abstract (excerpt)
Abstract Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is currently the main public health problem worldwide. The administration of neutral electrolyzed saline, a solution that contains reactive species of chlorine and oxygen (ROS), may be an effective therapeutic alternative due…