Background: There are no proven therapies for COVID-19 infection. COVID-19 infects the respiratory epithelium of the lower airways, causing widespread damage via cytopathic effects, resulting in severe inflammation and Pneumonitis. High local and circulating levels of cytokines, or cytokine storm, can lead to capillary leak syndrome, progressive lung injury, respiratory failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Methods: This is a pilot randomized, controlled, uni-center study testing safety and efficacy of cytokine filtration on patients with severe ARDS. Eligible patients will be randomized to 72 hours filtration or no filtration on top of the standard treatment for ARDS. Indications for randomization are patients with moderate or severe ARDS with need of ventilation support (either invasive or non-invasive), with inflammatory markers. The primary outcome will be days on mechanical ventilation (MV) support. Secondary outcomes are 30-day mortality, ICU days, need for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support, duration of renal replacement therapy (RRT) and catecholamine therapies, hospital length of stay, multi-organ failure. All analysis will be done according to the intention to treat principle.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
40
Cytokine adsorption will be performed through a venous hemodialysis catheter, preferably jugular or femoral. The filtration system will be established with a cytokine adsorption cartridge in an hemoperfusion system using a blood flow rate of 150 - 200 ml/min. Adsorbent therapy will last 72 hours, changing cartridges every 24 hours. Prior to start, heparinization will be stablished by a 1mg/Kg iv Na heparin bolus plus iv perfusion. Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (aPTT) control will be performed every 6 hours, with a goal range between 60 and 80 seconds.
Hospital Clínic de Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain
RECRUITINGMechanical ventilation-free days
Number of ventilator-free days (VFDs) at day 28 (defined as days being alive and free from mechanical ventilation at day 28 after enrollment. For patients ventilated 28 days or longer and for ventilated subjects who die, VFD is 0
Time frame: up to 28days
30-day mortality
Time frame: up to 30 days
length of ICU stay (days)
Time frame: up to 30 days
length of hospital stay
Time frame: up to 30 days
Duration of renal replacement and cathecolamines therapies
Time frame: up to 30 days
Need for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support
Time frame: up to 30 days
multi-organ failure measured by the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score
Time frame: up to 30 days (measured on days 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and the last day of mechanical ventilation)
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