Fulminating septicemia secondary to oxygen-ozone therapy for lumbar disc herniation: case report
Gazzeri R, Galarza M, Neroni M, Esposito S, et al. Spine, 2007.
- Study type
- Case report
- People studied
- 1 person
- Population
- 57-year-old man previously treated with oxygen-ozone therapy, presenting with low back and bilateral pain and L4-L5 and L5-S1 disc herniations on CT
- Published
- 2007, Spine
- Identifiers
- PMID 17268255, DOI 10.1097/01.brs.0000254125.85406.6e
What the authors reported
Three days after admission to hospital, a 57-year-old man previously treated with oxygen-ozone therapy for lumbar disc herniation developed fulminant septicemia. CT and blood culture showed pyogenic involvement of the lumbar muscles with septic pulmonary embolism from Escherichia coli infection. The authors describe the complication as fatal.
What limits this result
Single case report, read from the abstract only. The abstract does not state the route, number, or timing of the oxygen-ozone treatments, the ozone dose, or how and when the patient died, and it shows the event occurred, not how often it occurs.
Harms reported after ozone therapy, and studies of how ozone exposure affects health. One study rarely settles a medical question; our guides weigh each paper against the rest of the evidence.
How the study was done
- Design
- Case report and clinical discussion
- Setting
- Department of Neurosurgery, Ospedale San Giovanni Addolorata, Rome, Italy (author affiliation)
- Read from
- Read from the abstract only; where this page says nothing about an item, the abstract does not report it. Read on October 2, 2026.
Source: Abstract on PubMed
Study arms
| Group | Participants | What they received |
|---|---|---|
| Single patient | Not reported | 57-year-old man previously treated with oxygen-ozone therapy, presenting with low back and bilateral pain |
Source: Abstract on PubMed
What it measured
- Lumbar CT on presentation
- L4-L5 and L5-S1 herniated discs
The lumbar computed tomography revealed the presence of L4-L5 and L5-S1 herniated discs.
- Course three days after admission
- Fulminant septicemia
- Abdominal-pelvic and chest CT and blood culture
- Pyogenic lumbar muscle involvement, with septic pulmonary embolism secondary to Escherichia coli infection
- Authors' description of the case
- A local infection with systemic fatal dissemination secondary to this treatment, which the authors call the first such case
- Authors' conclusion
- Acute fatal septicemia should be considered among the major complications of oxygen-ozone therapy for a herniated lumbar disc
Source: Abstract on PubMed
Safety as reported
Fulminant septicemia that the authors describe as a rare and fatal complication of oxygen-ozone therapy for a herniated lumbar disc
Source: Abstract on PubMed
Where we cite this study
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