Abstract
Background
Alternative medicine is frequently used by patients even though most treatments are
without demonstrable benefit and have not been properly evaluated for medical safety.
Intravenous ozone is a modern form of alternative medicine. Even though ozone has
been used medically for more than a century, ozone as an infusion is scientifically
untested and potentially dangerous. This case notes a patient who underwent an ozone
infusion who experienced syncope and a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction immediately
thereafter.
Case Report
A 50-year-old white woman presented after experiencing syncope after completion of
ozone infusion therapy. The ozone infusion consisted of her blood being drawn and
ozone gas being injected into the sample. This blood was subsequently transfused back
into the patient's blood stream via peripheral intravenous catheter. An initial electrocardiogram
revealed no signs of infarction or ischemia, but her initial troponin I was elevated
and continued to rise. She was admitted for a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction
and underwent an extensive cardiac evaluation. It was determined that the oxidative
myocardial stress secondary to ozone was associated with the non-ST elevation myocardial
infarction.
Why Should an Emergency Physician be Aware of This?
More patients are turning to alternative medicine. Unfortunately, the published literature
regarding intravenous ozone exposure is scant; however, a multitude of studies have
shown that ozone can have hazardous effects, including that of detrimental cardiovascular
oxidative stress. Emergency physicians need to be aware of these novel treatments
and their potential undetermined effects.
Keywords
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References
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 07, 2019
Accepted:
September 20,
2019
Received in revised form:
July 23,
2019
Received:
May 29,
2019
Footnotes
Reprints are not available from the authors.
Identification
Copyright
© 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
ScienceDirect
Access this article on ScienceDirectLinked Article
- Correcting Misinformation about the Science and Practice of Evidence-Based, Safe and Effective Ozone TherapyJournal of Emergency MedicineVol. 61Issue 6
- PreviewOn November 7, 2019, The Journal of Emergency Medicine published “A Non-ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction Associated with Alternative Medicine Ozone Infusion” by Andrew Bingham, MD and Melissa Platt, MD (1). They reported the solitary case of a 50-year-old woman to whom an “ozone infusion” was administered, after which she experienced syncope and was transferred to an emergency department, where she received a diagnosis of non-ST elevation myocardial infarction. Bingham and Platt claimed that “oxidative myocardial stress secondary to ozone was associated with the non-ST elevation myocardial infarction.” In medical science, however, an “association” is a statistical relationship between 2 variables—exposures and health outcomes.
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