Preventive anti-clotting therapy does not boost survival of critically ill COVID patients
Among 3,239 critically ill adults with COVID-19, early use of therapeutic anticoagulation in the intensive care unit did not reduce the risk of death, an observational study found
BOSTON - Although abnormal blood clotting has been identified as one of the primary causes of death from COVID-19, early treatment in an intensive care unit (ICU) with therapeutic anticoagulation (anti-clotting) for adults who are critically ill with COVID-19 does not appear to improve chances of survival, and could do more harm than good by increasing the risk for major bleeding, a multicenter research group cautions.
"In patients critically ill with COVID-19, therapeutic dose anticoagulation started early in the ICU stay was not associated with improved survival,"says Hanny Al-Samkari, MD, an investigator in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and lead author of a study reporting the findings in the journal END
"In patients critically ill with COVID-19, therapeutic dose anticoagulation started early in the ICU stay was not associated with improved survival,"says Hanny Al-Samkari, MD, an investigator in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and lead author of a study reporting the findings in the journal END