Oxygen therapy alternatives in COVID-19: From classical to nanomedicine

Luis F T Pereira; Camila A Dallagnol; Tassiana H Moulepes; Clara Y Hirota; Pedro Kutsmi; Lucas V Dos Santos; Cleverton L Pirich; Guilherme F Picheth

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15500

Oxygen therapy alternatives in COVID-19: From classical to nanomedicine

Heliyon. 2023 Apr;9(4):e15500. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15500. Epub 2023 Apr 17.

Authors

Luis F T Pereira¹, Camila A Dallagnol¹, Tassiana H Moulepes¹, Clara Y Hirota¹, Pedro Kutsmi¹, Lucas V Dos Santos², Cleverton L Pirich³, Guilherme F Picheth^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ School of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
² Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
³ Department of Bioprocess Engineering and Biotechnology, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.

Abstract

Around 10-15% of COVID-19 patients affected by the Delta and the Omicron variants exhibit acute respiratory insufficiency and require intensive care unit admission to receive advanced respiratory support. However, the current ventilation methods display several limitations, including lung injury, dysphagia, respiratory muscle atrophy, and hemorrhage. Furthermore, most of the ventilatory techniques currently offered require highly trained professionals and oxygen cylinders, which may attain short supply owing to the high demand and misuse. Therefore, the search for new alternatives for oxygen therapeutics has become extremely important for maintaining gas exchange in patients affected by COVID-19. This review highlights and suggest new alternatives based on micro and nanostructures capable of supplying oxygen and/or enabling hematosis during moderate or acute COVID-19 cases.

Keywords: COVID-19; Hypoxia; Microbubbles; Nanobubbles; Nanotechnology; Oxygen therapy.

Publication types

Review