Abstract
In COVID-19-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome, the lungs are incapable of filling with sufficient air, leading to hypoxemia that results in high mortality among hospitalized patients. In clinical trials, low-molecular-weight heparin was administered via a specially designed soft-mist inhaler device in an investigator initiated, single-center, open-label, phase-IIb clinical trial. Patients with evidently worse clinical presentations were classed as the “Device Group”; 40 patients were given low-molecular-weight heparin via a soft mist inhaler at a dose of 4000 IU per administration, twice a day. The Control Group, also made up of 40 patients, received the standard therapy. The predetermined severity of hypoxemia and the peripheral oxygen saturation of patients were measured on the 1st and 10th days of treatment. The improvement was particularly striking in cases of severe hypoxemia. In the 10-day treatment, low-molecular-weight heparin was shown to significantly improve breathing capability when delivered via a soft-mist inhaler.
Highlights
The clinical severity of COVID-19 varies from mild (~80%) to life-threatening pneumonia [1]
The current study aims to treat hypoxemia resulting from COVID19-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome by inhalation of low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH)
Of treatment, tangible reduction was observed in thetreatments
Summary
The clinical severity of COVID-19 varies from mild (~80%) to life-threatening pneumonia [1]. Almost 20% of COVID-19 patients suffer from hypoxemia, the predominant cause of hospitalization and mortality [2,3]. Up to 24% of hospitalized patients require invasive mechanical ventilation due to lung injury resulting from acute respiratory failure and hypoxemia [2]. Interventions to overcome hypoxemia include inhaled corticosteroids, pulmonary vasodilator therapies (i.e., nitric oxide and prostaglandins), anti-inflammatory. Pharmaceutics 2021, 13, 1768 medications (i.e., tocilizumab, anakinra, sarilumab, siltuximab etc.) and oxygen therapy [4,5]. The repurposing of available medicines is the fastest option to make new pharmacotherapies, including antivirals [2], heparin-derivatives [6] and corticosteroids [7]. Our clinical study utilizes the liquid form of low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH), delivered via a soft mist inhaler (PulmoSpray® ) to reduce side-effects and to achieve a higher accumulation in the targeted organ. LMWH has advantages over current treatments of hypoxemia, such as anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, mucolytic and anti-viral properties, in the treatment of SARS-CoV [8,9], and Zika [10], Herpes
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
