Using Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment to treat long covid

NEW YORK - An old treatment provides new relief for people suffering from debilitating conditions associated with long-term COVID-19 symptoms known as long covid. For decades, the Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment has been used to speed up healing recovery. Now patients who suffer from illnesses related to long COVID-19 to Lyme disease are finding relief.

After being diagnosed with COVID-19 in January of 2022, New York City teacher, Denise Urrutia credits the treatment with saving her life and restoring a sense of normalcy. A procedure her Orthopedic Doctor, Martin O'Mally, introduced her to after her symptoms lingered for months.

Urrutia is not alone. According to Brookings Institute, she is one of about 16 million working-age Americans dealing with long covid. The debilitating condition keeps nearly a quarter of them from working.

"I was out of work for three weeks. I started coming here in June, and that whole time I felt like there was something that was weighing my chest down," said Urrutia. She now receives treatment at least three times a week – at MDHyperbaric on the Upper East Side on 72nd street.

"We knew the data was very good from recovery from wounds and the application, to recovery, was just, from surgery to surgical wounds that are not infected and just regular recovery from physical exertion," according to Dr. O'Mally, who runs the facility. Dr. O'Mally, a physician for the Brooklyn Nets, says studies show that long covid patients benefit from Hyperbaric Oxygen treatments. "Studies out of Israel that show randomized control studies that the patients did well, who had long covid, and they did PET scans of the brain. They showed decrease infusion with long Covid, and increased profusion after doing hyperbaric oxygen."

Athletes also benefit. "We started MDhyperbaric as an idea to improve athletic performance, improve and skip the recovery from surgery, and also to help, sometimes, with some wounds." And more severe conditions, such as brain trauma. "For a lot of neurological conditions, but also for recovery from surgery, and just recovering from injury."

The pressurized chamber is 92-inches long and 42-inches in diameter. It's equivalent to being 33 feet underwater. Dr. O'Malley says it treats a variety of ailments. It's known to treat everything from wound healing, long Covid, and even Lyme disease.

"It's been shown to be helpful for a lot of autoimmune disease, or infectious mediated diseases, which we think covid is, but also Lyme disease. The high levels of the oxygen tend to kill the Lyme disease spiral key in Lyme disease."

So, what's it like being inside a pressurized chamber that pushes out 100% oxygen?

"It's loud, but it's very relaxing. I read books that I thought I would never read. I catch up on the news. My messaging whatever it is I need to do," said Urrutia.

And the comfort level? 

"It's very comfortable. They have pillows in there. I switch them around. I adjust myself, and I get comfortable."

Comfortable but expensive. Each 60-minute treatment costs $300. Ten sessions are recommended, which are not covered by insurance. Dr. O'Malley hopes the Biden Administration will change that. 

"We need to think outside the box. We need some novel treatments. We need to try to find some biomarkers to say, 'You have long covid.' And two, we need to try and do some treatment plans. Is hyperbaric treatment the answer for long covid? We don't know. The early data is promising."