Nebulised Heparin in Patients With COVID-19 Pneumonia

Summary

While the pandemic continues to incite panic and the guideline recommendations regarding management of COVID continue to change, we have growing evidence that ARDS secondary to Covid-19 is associated with disseminated intravascular and alveolar fibrin deposition1. Strategies devised to reduce mucous and fibrin plugs will greatly help in preventing patients from progressing to invasive ventilation2 which if happens will obviously overburden the compromised intensive care facilities. Offering heparin in nebulized form has greatly reduced levels of coagulation activation in the lungs both in animal studies and in patients with acute lung injury3. As Heparin prevents further fibrin deposition but is ineffective in the removal of pre-existing fibrin plug, so early use of heparin during the course of the disease may help in limiting the complications of ARDS and hence reducing the burden faced by our intensive care units. A prospective randomized controlled trial will be carried out in patients admitted to COVID complex to see its effects on disease progression and its role in preventing patients from progressing to require Invasive Mechanical Ventilation while being administered through local route rather than systemic. Moreover, it will also give insight and way forward regarding the improvement in the survival and earlier discharge

Timeline

Start

2022-06-20

Primary completion

2022-08-20

Completion

2022-10-20

Publications

• Background Lio KU, Rali P. Coagulopathy in COVID-19. Lung India. 2021 Mar;38(Supplement):S53-S57. doi: 10.4103/lungindia.lungindia_226_20.
• Background van Haren FMP, Richardson A, Yoon HJ, Artigas A, Laffey JG, Dixon B, Smith R, Vilaseca AB, Barbera RA, Ismail TI, Mahrous RS, Badr M, De Nucci G, Sverdloff C, van Loon LM, Camprubi-Rimblas M, Cosgrave DW, Smoot TL, Staas S, Sann K, Sas C, Belani A, Hillman C, Shute J, Carroll M, Wilkinson T, Carroll M, Singh D, Page C. INHALEd nebulised unfractionated HEParin for the treatment of hospitalised patients with COVID-19 (INHALE-HEP): Protocol and statistical analysis plan for an investigator-initiated international metatrial of randomised studies. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2021 Aug;87(8):3075-3091. doi: 10.1111/bcp.14714. Epub 2021 Jan 19.
• Background Imran M, Khan S, Khan S, Uddin A, Khan MS, Ambade P. COVID-19 situation in Pakistan: A broad overview. Respirology. 2021 Sep;26(9):891-892. doi: 10.1111/resp.14093. Epub 2021 May 31. No abstract available.
• Background Stilma W, Schultz MJ, Paulus F. Preventing mucus plugging in invasively ventilated intensive care unit patients-routine or personalized care and 'primum non nocere'. J Thorac Dis. 2018 Dec;10(12):E817-E818. doi: 10.21037/jtd.2018.11.128. No abstract available.
• Background Chimenti L, Camprubi-Rimblas M, Guillamat-Prats R, Gomez MN, Tijero J, Blanch L, Artigas A. Nebulized Heparin Attenuates Pulmonary Coagulopathy and Inflammation through Alveolar Macrophages in a Rat Model of Acute Lung Injury. Thromb Haemost. 2017 Nov;117(11):2125-2134. doi: 10.1160/TH17-05-0347. Epub 2017 Nov 30.
• Background Home - Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center 2021
• Background Villar J, Blanco J, Anon JM, Santos-Bouza A, Blanch L, Ambros A, Gandia F, Carriedo D, Mosteiro F, Basaldua S, Fernandez RL, Kacmarek RM; ALIEN Network. The ALIEN study: incidence and outcome of acute respiratory distress syndrome in the era of lung protective ventilation. Intensive Care Med. 2011 Dec;37(12):1932-41. doi: 10.1007/s00134-011-2380-4. Epub 2011 Oct 14.

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