Beneficial clinical effects of ozonated autohemotherapy in chronically dialysed patients with atherosclerotic ischemia of the lower limbs - pilot study

Ozonated autohemotherapy is a controversial but successful method of treatm ent, used in particular in European countries. There are many fields in whi ch medical ozone could be of value. treating different infections, immunode ficiency syndromes, neoplasms. Encouraging results have also been achieved in the treatment of atherosclerotic ischemia of the lower limbs. In this pr eliminary study, the influence of blood ozonation on the intensity of sympt oms of ischemia of the lower extremities was analysed among dialysed patien ts with chronic renal failure. We examined 5 hemodialyzed patients and 7 pa tients treated with peritoneal dialysis immediately before and after 14 ses sions of ozonated autohaemotherapy. Eleven patients (91.6 %) reported a sub jective decrease in perceived intensity of ischemic pains, or observed prol ongation of intermittent claudication distance. During march tests performe d on a treadmill, we found significant prolongation of intermittent claudic ation distance in all examined patients - 65.6% (mean value, p (less than o r equal to0.01). Patients treated with peritoneal dialysis achieved much gr eater improvement than did hemodialyzed patients (165% vs. 42%). We conclud ed that autohemotherapy with ozone, in a concentration of 34.4 mcg/ml of bl ood, is safe, easily applied and may be useful In the therapy of atheroscle rotic ischemia of lower extremities among dialyzed patients. It could also be a complement to current treatment, especially in cases where the latter has failed.