ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: We have investigated the use of nebulized surfactant as a potential therapeutic option for the patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) undergoing non-invasive ventilation. METHODS: The patients were divided into 2 groups: surfactant (n = 33) and control (n = 32). The subjects in the surfactant group received the inhaled surfactant at daily dose of 150-300 mg. The oxygenation parameters and several clinical outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: On the 5 day of therapy, PaO2/FiO2 improved significantly in the surfactant group compared to the control group (184 (155-212) mmHg vs 150 (91-173) mmHg, p = 0.02). The inhaled surfactant significantly reduced the need for transfer of patients to intensive care units (24.2% vs 46.9%, p = 0.05) and invasive mechanical ventilation (18.2% vs 40.6%, p = 0.04). Even more, the nebulized surfactant shortened the length of non-invasive ventilation (7 (3-13) days vs 11 (5-22) days, p = 0.02) and time spent in hospital (18 (16-27) days vs 26 (21-31) days, p = 0.003) in patients suffering from COVID-19-linked ARDS. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary data provided indications that inhaled surfactant therapy may represent a promising option for patients with COVID-19-associated ARDS. However, larger clinical trials are crucially needed.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/complications , Intensive Care Units , Pulmonary Surfactants/administration & dosage , Respiratory Distress Syndrome/therapy , SARS-CoV-2 , Administration, Inhalation , Aged , COVID-19/epidemiology , Case-Control Studies , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Pandemics , Prospective Studies , Respiratory Distress Syndrome/etiologyABSTRACT
Existing literature highlights the fact that patients with COVID-19 exhibit alterations in the coagulation process and are associated with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, including acute respiratory distress syndrome and acute cor pulmonale. In this report, we describe the effects of systemic thrombolysis on acute cor pulmonale in a patient suffering from COVID-19. We demonstrated that systemic thrombolysis successfully improved the hemodynamics of our patient and resulted in a prominent reduction in hypercapnia, alveolar dead space, and ventilatory ratio.