PN Medical supports Mayo Clinic in Long COVID clinical trial

PN Medical, a developer of cardiopulmonary training devices, is supporting Mayo Clinic in a clinical trial to identify new approaches to treat the symptoms of post-acute COVID syndrome (PACS). 

The COVID Virtual Recovery Study will focus on people who have tested positive for the SARS-CoV2 infection and have completed a 14-30 day quarantine.

A new study from the University of Oxford reports that more than one-third of COVID-19 patients may experience lingering symptoms for months following infection. Commonly referred to as Long COVID, some of the more common symptoms of post-acute COVID syndrome (PACS) include shortness of breath, fatigue, brain fog, loss of taste and smell, joint pain and depression. Health experts say the condition is clearly of public health concern, given the substantial impact it has on society, ranging from increased health care costs to economic and productivity losses.

The goal of Mayo Clinic’s COVID Virtual Recovery Study is to investigate the benefits of respiratory muscle training (RMT) on strengthening the respiratory system and accelerating recovery from COVID-19. The findings will focus on functional recovery, mental wellbeing, and the ability to return to work or to pre-COVID daily activities.

Mark A. Carbone, CEO of PN Medical, said: “The respiratory system is central to a number of the lingering symptoms of long COVID. Implementing respiratory muscle training can positively impact the pathways involved in breathing and provide a gradual, progressive method to improve respiratory muscle function.”

The four-week study is completely virtual, allowing anyone in the U.S. who has been affected by COVID-19 to apply. Participants will receive PN Medical’s respiratory muscle training device (The Breather or Breather Fit) and follow a training plan on the Breather Coach connected app that requires using the device up to two times a day on a specific number of days per week to test its effectiveness in reducing long COVID symptoms.

Carbone added: “PN Medical shares Mayo Clinic’s dedication to evidence-based science and cutting-edge research; in this case to develop drug-free solutions to help people improve their respiratory health. My hope is that this research study with Mayo Clinic will result in new protocols that lead to COVID resilience before, during and after positive exposure to the virus.”