Effect of Rectal Ozone (O3) in Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia: Preliminary Results

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of rectal ozone (O 3) in COVID-19 patients with severe pneumonia admitted at Hospital Universitario Santa Cristina, Madrid In a before-and-after study, four patients admitted with severe bilateral pneumonia due to COVID-19 were treated with rectal ozone and confirmed with (+) RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 and evaluated afterwards The analyzed outcome variables were as follows: (a) clinical improvement (O 2 saturation and O 2 supply);(b) biochemical improvement (fibrinogen, D-dimer, urea, ferritin, LDH, IL-6, and CRP);(c) radiological improvement The treatment protocol consisted of 5 sessions (1 session/day) of intra-rectal ozone, applied in a volume of 100 mL and a concentration of 35 μg/mL The Protocol was previously approved by the Hospital's Health Care Ethics Committee (CEAS) (Report 15/4/2020) for compassionate use in the face of this exceptional pandemic situation, and prior informed consent was obtained from the patient/legal representative The patients improved oxygen saturation, as observed by the lower number of desaturations and the lower supply of O 2 Biomarkers of inflammation decreased (fibrinogen, D-dimer, urea, ferritin, LDH, IL-6, and CRP) Finally, the radiological signs of bilateral viral pneumonitis improved between 1 and 2 grades based on Taylor's radiological scale Rectal ozone decreases O 2 supply and improves O 2 saturation, decreases inflammation biomarkers, and improves Taylor's radiological grade in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia Rectal ozone is a safe, effective, cheap, and simple alternative capable of acting on the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and it is presented as an adjunctive therapeutic option to consider in the management of severe bilateral COVID-19 pneumonia