Combined inhaled gases improved walking-test performance in a short long-COVID trial
Patients receiving nitric oxide plus molecular hydrogen walked farther on testing than those receiving nitric oxide alone or control treatment; the improvement's size was not reported.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The combined-gas group performed better on a walking test than both comparison groups. Both gas treatments also improved reported symptoms and quality of life compared with the control group. These results describe a brief clinical trial; they do not establish lasting recovery or justify the abstract's broad claim that safety was proven.
The study was open-label, and the abstract provides no sizes for the reported benefits. It also does not describe what the control group received or report longer-term outcomes.
What researchers found
Distance on the 6-minute walk test
After the 10-day course, combined gases increased walking distance versus nitric oxide alone and control; the size of the difference was not reported.
Which outcomes changed
Researchers assessed breathlessness, cough, fatigue, quality of life, walking performance and laboratory measures. Symptoms and quality of life improved in both gas groups, while the walking result specifically favored the combined treatment.
What safety reporting establishes
No serious adverse events were noted during the study. That observation is useful, but a short trial cannot settle whether uncommon harms or problems with repeated treatment might occur.
The original publication
[The combined use of inhaled nitric oxide and molecular hydrogen in patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome].
Pozdnyakova DD, Baranova IA, Selemir VD et al.
Ter Arkh · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41859790
- Record checked
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