Grounded planes could soon become hyperbaric oxygen therapy chambers to treat COVID-19 patients

Grounded airplanes could soon become hyperbaric oxygen therapy chambers to treat COVID-19 patients, thanks to Lungfish Dive Systems, in cooperation with aerospace companies and healthcare organisations, who are looking into how this could become feasible.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can prevent patients from deterring to the point where they require ventilation. Nonetheless, it is a common type of treatment for many diseases where hypoxia is a factor; however, due to the lack of chambers for hyperbaric oxygen therapy, there has been a limit of acceptance for COVID-19 care.

A clinical trial will be conducted, analysing hyperbaric oxygen therapy in aircraft, on patients in Canada who are currently in hospital due to COVID-19.

Dr. Daniel Reynolds, Lungfish Dive System’s Founder, stated: “It’s a race against time to secure partners for further clinical trials. At the current casualty rates, if the treatment proves effective, one day’s difference in response speed could mean a difference of thousands of lives saved.”