Neurological Crisis Following Intravenous Ozone Therapy; a Case Report
Wong CYY, Saxena K, Meneer J, George K, et al. Archives of Academic Emergency Medicine, 2025.
- Study type
- Case report
- People studied
- 1 person
- Population
- 36-year-old woman with no significant medical history, given intravenous ozone therapy at a private outpatient session 'to boost her immunity'
- Published
- 2025, Archives of Academic Emergency Medicine
- Identifiers
- PMID 40027218, DOI 10.22037/aaemj.v13i1.2592
What the authors reported
Minutes after an intravenous ozone session (autotransfusion of 150 mL of ozone-infused blood with heparin) the patient had chest pain, syncope, and a seizure. MRI showed multiple ischemic infarcts consistent with an embolic event, and echocardiography a small patent foramen ovale. She needed intubation and intensive care; at nine months she still had cognitive difficulties.
What limits this result
Single case report: it shows the event followed this procedure, not how often it occurs. Cerebral air embolism was the suspected, not a confirmed, diagnosis, and no ozone concentration is reported. The authors cite delays in diagnosis, limited generalizability to other healthcare settings, and no follow-up beyond 9 months.
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
Neurological Crisis Following Intravenous Ozone Therapy; a Case Report
- Setting
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Gold Coast University Hospital, Southport, Queensland, Australia (author affiliation)
- Read from
- Read from the full text of the paper. Read on September 29, 2026.
Source: Abstract on PubMed
Study arms
| Group | Participants | What they received |
|---|---|---|
| Single patient | Not reported | Elective private outpatient intravenous ozone therapy session: autotransfusion of 150 mL of ozone-infused venous blood with 500 IU of heparin, 'to boost her immunity' |
Source: Full text on PubMed Central
Procedure as reported
- Blood volume
- 150 mL of ozone-infused venous blood (autotransfused)
- Anticoagulant
- 500 IU of heparin
autotransfusion of 150 mL of ozone-infused venous blood with 500 IU of heparin
In the paper's own units, not converted.
Source: Full text on PubMed Central
What it measured
- Presentation to the emergency department
- Sudden-onset severe chest pain, syncope, and a witnessed generalized tonic-clonic seizure lasting three minutes
- Non-contrast brain CT and CT angiogram, 40 minutes after arrival
- No acute intracranial pathology
- MRI 8 hours later
- Multiple ischemic infarcts in the left thalamus and right cerebellum, consistent with embolic event
- Echocardiogram
- Small patent foramen ovale, suggesting a right to left shunt as the potential route of embolism to the brain
- Level of care
- Persistent low GCS of 9 and agitation led to intubation and ICU admission
- Days 3 and 4
- Extubated on day 3; by day 4 GCS 15 with normal cranial nerve and limb examinations
- Cognition during the first 6 months
- Significant cognitive deficits in speech, memory, and comprehension, requiring speech and occupational therapy
- Status at nine months
- Continues to struggle with attention span, concentration during cognitive tasks, and frequent migraines
Source: Full text on PubMed Central
Safety as reported
Neurological complications, including ischemic infarcts and persistent cognitive deficits, following intravenous ozone therapy in a previously healthy patient
Source: Abstract on PubMed
Follow-up
Nine months; the authors list the lack of follow-up beyond 9 months as a limitationthe incomplete long-term follow-up of this patient beyond 9 months to assess full recovery or persistent sequelae
Source: Full text on PubMed Central
Funding and conflicts
Did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors
Source: Full text on PubMed Central
Where we cite this study
Does EBO2 (EBOO) Work? The Evidence, Study by Study
Every study in our EBO2 (EBOO) library in one place: design, size, what was measured and found, its limits, and a check for any study a clinic cites.
EBO2 (EBOO), Blood Thinners, and Other Medicines: What the Sources Say and What to Ask
How EBOO circuits are kept from clotting, what heparin's FDA label warns, what clinics say about blood thinners, and what no source has studied.
Ozone Therapy Adverse Events by Route: What Case Reports Show, and Where EBO2 (EBOO) Fits
Every ozone therapy adverse event we could read in case reports and series, grouped by route, plus how to search FDA's MAUDE data and report to MedWatch.
EBO2 (EBOO) Side Effects and Safety: What Studies, Case Reports, and Regulators Record
What the EBOO studies record about side effects, the harms documented with other ozone procedures, the risks of the circuit, and what regulators have found.