Blood thinners may help patients with severe COVID-19 infection, study says



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Blood-thinning medications could help rescue patients most seriously infected with coronavirus, doctors reported Wednesday.

The medical team’s discovery at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York could help with the problem that has shocked doctors treating coronavirus patients around the world that blood clots in all parts of the body are a complication of a disease that is still very difficult to treat.

The team is currently conducting experiments to find out which anticoagulants and at what doses work best.

“There were significantly more patients who received anticoagulants in addition to other treatments than those who received only other treatments but not anticoagulants,” said Dr. Valentin Fuster, chief cardiologist at CNN’s Mount Sinai Hospital. to.

“This result is already significant. In my opinion, these patients should also receive anticoagulant treatment,” he added.

However, the results are not clear enough to make a sound recommendation. The medical team noted that patients with more serious conditions were more likely to receive blood thinners.

Improved results

Fuster and his colleagues observed more than 2,700 patients at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, which was severely affected by the coronavirus epidemic. Starting in March, some patients began receiving anticoagulant treatment based on the doctors’ individual bedside decisions.

The team systematically examined whether there was a difference in anticoagulant administration. The result is yes, especially for ventilator patients.

It was found that 29% of patients on a respirator who received an anticoagulant died, compared to 63% of patients who received a respirator but did not receive an anticoagulant.

“We conclude that the use of systemic anticoagulants may be associated with a better outcome of COVID-19 hospitalized disease,” they wrote in a report published in the Journal of the American Society of Cardiology (JACC).

The researchers found no evidence that patients who received the anticoagulant were significantly more likely to develop bleeding, which is one of the risks of using these medications.

Different patients received different doses of blood-thinning medications, so it’s important to systematically study which combination of medication and dosage works best, Fuster said.

Blood clots are undoubtedly a problem.

The medical team that started this study will continue to test different doses for classic anticoagulants, heparins, and new oral anticoagulants like dabigatran (a direct thrombin inhibitor).

There is no doubt that blood clots are a major cause of death in COVID-19 patients, Fuster said.

Fuster also wants to see if blood thinners can help those who are not as severely ill as possible to be admitted to the hospital. Some hospitals have reported troubling cases of stroke in patients under the age of 50 who are not normally at high risk in this regard. In several cases, they were later confirmed to be infected with coronavirus.

It is still unclear why the coronavirus causes blood clots, but we believe that an increase in blood clotting can be expected in severe viral infections.

It should also be noted that in severe conditions, even with multiple organ failure or requiring intensive care, it is almost always necessary to administer an anticoagulant to prevent clot formation.

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WEBBeteg
Source: Zs. F., translator; Blood thinners may help patients with severe Covid-19 infections, study finds (edition.cnn.com)
Reviewed by: Dr. Ágnes Zsófia Ujj, internal medicine, hematologist

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