The effect of Huashibaidu formula on the blood oxygen saturation status of severe COVID-19: A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Huashibaidu Formula (HSBD) for the COVID-19 treatment has been supported by the China's Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia. However, it is not clear whether HSBD can improve blood oxygen saturation and when it should be used with conventional therapies. PURPOSE: To access the effect of HSBD combined with conventional treatment on blood oxygen saturation of COVID-19 patients. METHODS: A single-center retrospective cohort study was conducted to collect the confirmed severe COVID-19 patients’ information, treated by the National Traditional Chinese Medicine Medical Team at the Jinyintan hospital between January 24 and March 31, 2020. According to whether HSBD was used during hospitalization, participants were separated into the conventional treatment group and the HSBD group (HSBD and conventional treatment). The primary observation indicators included the time for relieving blood oxygen saturation and the improvement ratio of blood oxygen saturation in each group. RESULTS: Of 111 patients with severe COVID-19, 53.2% (59/111) received HSBD, and 46.8% (52/111) only received conventional treatment, respectively. No statistically significant difference was found in image, clinical symptoms, and past medical history between the two groups (p > 0.05). Notably, the median time for relieving blood oxygen saturation in the conventional treatment group was 11 days (IQR, 8–14.25), while that in the HSBD group was only 6 days (IQR, 3.25–10.75), which was significantly shortened by 4.09 days (95%CI, 2.07–6.13; p= 0.0001), compared with the conventional treatment group. After repeated measurement design analysis, the main effect within times (p< 0.001) and the main effect were significantly different under the oxygen saturation dimension between two groups (p= 0.004). However, time and group interaction were observed no significant difference (p= 0.094). After 14 days of treatment, the improvement ratio of the HSBD group over the conventional treatment group was 1.20 (95%CI, 0.89–1.61). CONCLUSION: For severe COVID-19 patients, the HSBD has a tendency to shorten the time for relieving blood oxygen saturation. After taking a course of HSBD, the effect can be more obvious.