Today, Aviv Clinics reveals results from the Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research at Shamir Medical Center and Tel Aviv University from a longitudinal long Coronavirus disease (COVID) study highlighting hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) as an effective treatment for those with long COVID symptoms and the damaged tissue was healed.

The primary objective of the study, “Long-term outcomes of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in post COVID condition: longitudinal follow-up of a randomized controlled trial,” was to evaluate the long-term effects of a specific HBOT protocol on long COVID syndrome. It was conducted by leading hyperbaric medicine researchers Dr. Shai Efrati and Dr. Amir Hadanny.

In a previous randomized controlled trial, significant improvements in cognitive, psychiatric, fatigue, sleep, and pain symptoms among long COVID patients who underwent a unique protocol of hyperbaric oxygen therapy were documented. This longitudinal follow-up included 31 patients from the original study, who were treated with 40 daily sessions of HBOT. Participants were recruited more than one year after completion of their last HBOT session.

Quality of life, assessed through the well-known and validated questionnaire, revealed the long-term results exhibited a similar magnitude of improvement as the short-term outcomes following HBOT across most patients. Sleep quality improvements were observed in global score and across five sleep domains with effect sizes of moderate magnitude during the short-term evaluation. These improvements persisted in the long-term assessment. Neuropsychiatric symptoms assessment following HBOT demonstrated a large effect size, and this effect persisted at the long-term evaluation. Both pain severity and pain interference had significant improvements during the short-term assessment post HBOT, which persisted at long-term.

“In our original study, we demonstrated the correlation between clinical improvement and neuroplasticity. In the current study, we understand brain recovery is a constant gain, with persistent long term clinical changes,” said Dr. Hadanny, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Research at Aviv Scientific.

The results indicate HBOT can improve the quality of life, quality of sleep, psychiatric and pain symptoms of patients suffering from long COVID. The clinical improvements gained by treatment with a specific HBOT protocol are persistent even more than one year after the last HBOT session. The damaged brain tissue from long COVID was healed through HBOT’s ability to create a biological change in the body.

This unique protocol, including the one implemented in the original and present study, involves the repeated fluctuations in pressure and oxygen concentrations, which, in turn, trigger the expression of genes and activate metabolic pathways vital for regeneration. By delivering high oxygen concentrations, HBOT can enhance oxygen delivery to tissues, resulting in recovery of injured tissues permanent improvement. More specifically, at the subcellular level, HBOT restores mitochondria function (in both neurons and glia cells) and metabolism, attenuated by long COVID. At the cellular level, HBOT anti-inflammatory effects modulates the release of cytokines and inflammation associated with long COVID. By stimulating vasculogenic stem cells, HBOT induces angiogenesis, addressing the vascular damage or thrombosis caused by long COVID.

“Thousands of people across the globe are suffering from debilitating symptoms after COVID,” Dr. Shai Efrati, the research group leader and chair of Aviv Scientific’s Medical Advisory Board. “The majority of the population has moved on post-pandemic, but I feel it’s our responsibility to help those still struggling. Our unique HBOT protocol has shown to be a very promising treatment for long COVID with results that will not revert over time.”

This unique protocol is applied worldwide at Aviv Clinics at clinic locations in Dubai and Florida. It offers an advanced, comprehensive treatment program to offer patients top-line care and the opportunity to invest in their future quality of life. Prior to the HBOT process, Aviv conducts an in-depth assessment of the patient’s physical and neurological condition to assess how sustainable the HBOT treatment will be. For patients that are a fit for the Aviv Medical Program, the Aviv team will then prepare a robust HBOT treatment schedule combined with personal cognitive and physical training, and dietary plan.