Effects of graphene photothermal adjuvant therapy in patients infected with the Omicron BF.7 variant 2022: a prospective randomized controlled trial

The sudden onset of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prompted the proposal of graphene photothermal adjuvant therapy (GPAT). Its therapeutic efficacy, symptom recovery, viral negativity, and safety in COVID-19 patients remain uncertain. A prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted involving 270 mildly infected COVID-19 BF7 patients in Hohhot, China, from November to December 2022. Participants were divided into two groups: 128 received GPAT and 115 received conventional treatment (CT). The GPAT group showed a lower clinical symptom recovery rate compared to the CT group (96.88% vs. 99.13%, p = 0.217), a longer median time for symptom recovery and/or improvement (6.0 vs. 4.0 days, hazard ratio: 1.35, 95%CI: 1.03–1.77, p = 0.028), and a longer median hospital stay (8.5 vs. 8.0 days, hazard ratio: 1.38, 95%CI: 1.05–1.81, p = 0.019). However, the incidence of abnormal IL6 level changes was significantly lower in the GPAT group compared to the CT group ( p < 0.05). GPAT did not demonstrate superior efficacy in treating COVID-19 but showed a significant effect in controlling abnormal immune responses.