Personalized Evaluation of Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide Exchange in COVID-19 Patients with Regard to Energy Homeostasis

The COVID-19 does not proceed the same way in every patient. It may interfere with both oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange in the alveoli; therefore, prevent ATP generation; subsequently, restrict energy supply for the life processes of the patient. Data sets representing the course of the COVID-19 in four patients, where the disease followed dissimilar paths were reassessed after the end of the treatment, by focusing on the respiratory and metabolic energy related parameters (FiO2, PaO2, SaO2, PaCO2) and the other parameters such as HCO3, lactate, body temperature, C-reactive protein (CRP) and blood urea nitrogen levels. The valuable treatment data pertinent to each individual showed that each of them needed a personal treatment method. Group based statistical analyses may cause loss of the valuable medical information, if some of the dissimilar treatment details is considered as outliers. NIH has very recently reported that, there is no sufficient data yet to recommend either for or against the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in the treatment of the COVID-19 patients. However, the results of this study suggest that ECMO may be useful for removal of the CO2 from some of the COVID-19 patients; therefore, will be helpful if used in their treatment.