Vetrici Mariana A, Mokmeli Soheila, Bohm Andrew R, Monici Monica, Sigman Scott A
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada.
Training Institute, Canadian Optic and Laser Center, Victoria, BC, Canada.
J Inflamm Res. 2021 Mar 19;14:965-979. doi: 10.2147/JIR.S301625. eCollection 2021.
Evidence-based and effective treatments for COVID-19 are limited, and a new wave of infections and deaths calls for novel, easily implemented treatment strategies. Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) is a well-known adjunctive treatment for pain management, wound healing, lymphedema, and cellulitis. PBMT uses light to start a cascade of photochemical reactions that lead to local and systemic anti-inflammatory effects at multiple levels and that stimulate healing. Numerous empirical studies of PBMT for patients with pulmonary disease such as pneumonia, COPD and asthma suggest that PBMT is a safe and effective adjunctive treatment. Recent systematic reviews suggest that PBMT may be applied to target lung tissue in COVID-19 patients. In this preliminary study, we evaluated the effect of adjunctive PBMT on COVID-19 pneumonia and patient clinical status.
We present a small-scale clinical trial with 10 patients randomized to standard medical care or standard medical care plus adjunctive PBMT. The PBMT group received four daily sessions of near-infrared light treatment targeting the lung tissue via a Multiwave Locked System (MLS) laser. Patient outcomes were measured via blood work, chest x-rays, pulse oximetry and validated scoring tools for pneumonia.
PBMT patients showed improvement on pulmonary indices such as SMART-COP, BCRSS, RALE, and CAP (Community-Acquired Pneumonia questionnaire). PBMT-treated patients showed rapid recovery, did not require ICU admission or mechanical ventilation, and reported no long-term sequelae at 5 months after treatment. In the control group, 60% of patients were admitted to the ICU for mechanical ventilation. The control group had an overall mortality of 40%. At a 5-month follow-up, 40% of the control group experienced long-term sequelae.
PBMT is a safe and effective potential treatment for COVID-19 pneumonia and improves clinical status in COVID-19 pneumonia.
针对新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）的循证且有效的治疗方法有限，新一轮的感染和死亡促使人们需要新的、易于实施的治疗策略。光生物调节疗法（PBMT）是一种众所周知的用于疼痛管理、伤口愈合、淋巴水肿和蜂窝织炎的辅助治疗方法。PBMT利用光引发一系列光化学反应，从而在多个层面产生局部和全身的抗炎作用，并刺激愈合。对患有肺炎、慢性阻塞性肺疾病（COPD）和哮喘等肺部疾病的患者进行的大量PBMT实证研究表明，PBMT是一种安全有效的辅助治疗方法。最近的系统评价表明，PBMT可应用于COVID-19患者的肺部组织靶向治疗。在这项初步研究中，我们评估了辅助PBMT对COVID-19肺炎及患者临床状况的影响。
我们开展了一项小规模临床试验，将10名患者随机分为接受标准医疗护理组或标准医疗护理加辅助PBMT组。PBMT组患者每天接受4次近红外光治疗，通过多波长锁定系统（MLS）激光靶向肺部组织。通过血液检查、胸部X光、脉搏血氧饱和度测定以及经过验证的肺炎评分工具来衡量患者的治疗效果。
接受PBMT治疗的患者在诸如SMART-COP、BCRSS、啰音和社区获得性肺炎问卷（CAP）等肺部指标上有所改善。接受PBMT治疗的患者恢复迅速，无需入住重症监护病房（ICU）或进行机械通气，且在治疗后5个月报告无长期后遗症。在对照组中，60%的患者因机械通气入住ICU。对照组的总体死亡率为40%。在5个月的随访中，40%的对照组患者出现长期后遗症。
PBMT是一种治疗COVID-19肺炎的安全有效的潜在疗法，可改善COVID-19肺炎患者的临床状况。
