Supersaturated oxygen (SSO₂) therapy is an emerging therapeutic approach designed to minimize myocardial damage and improve outcomes in patients diagnosed with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). A systematic review and meta-analysis published in the American Heart Journal aimed to determine the efficacy of SSO₂ therapy in reducing microvascular obstruction (MVO) and infarct size.

Studies comparing the combination of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and SSO₂ therapy with PCI alone in patients with STEMI were systematically identified from the Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane databases.

Outcomes included MVO, infarct size, subsequent major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), re-infarction, target vessel revascularization (TVR), and all-cause mortality. Random-effects models were used to calculate mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

The analysis included six studies comprising 1,660 subjects. Of these, 548 patients (33%) received SSO₂ therapy. PCI with SSO₂ therapy significantly reduced MVO (SMD −0.72; 95% CI −1.11 to −0.34; P < .01) and infarct size (MD −4.31; 95% CI −6.70 to −1.92; P < .01) compared with PCI alone, as shown by pooled analysis. Both groups had comparable all-cause mortality, MACE, TVR, and re-infarction rates.

Despite improvements in infarct size and MVO, no statistically significant differences were observed in major adverse cardiovascular events, mortality, re-infarction, or target vessel revascularization with SSO₂ therapy.