Chloroquine/Hydroxychloroquine for Treating or Preventing COVID-19 Infection

When given along with azithromycin, hydroxychloroquine increased the risk of any unwanted effects, but made no difference to the risk of serious unwanted effects (1 study; 444 people). Compared with lopinavir plus ritonavir,... read more

Antiviral Drugs in Hospitalised COVID-19 Patients

These remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir, and interferon regimens had little or no effect on hospitalized patients with Covid-19, as indicated by overall mortality, initiation of ventilation, and duration of hospital... read more

Functional outcome after inpatient rehabilitation in post-intensive care unit COVID-19 patients

These findings suggest that post-acute COVID-19 patients might beneficiate of a motor and respiratory rehabilitation treatment. However, further studies are advised to better understand long-term sequelae of the disease. Medical... read more

Interleukin-6 Receptor Antagonists in Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19

In critically ill patients with COVID-19 receiving organ support in ICUs, treatment with the interleukin-6 receptor antagonists tocilizumab and sarilumab improved outcomes, including survival. Both tocilizumab and sarilumab... read more

Association of Convalescent Plasma Treatment With Clinical Outcomes in Patients With COVID-19

Treatment with convalescent plasma compared with placebo or standard of care was not significantly associated with a decrease in all-cause mortality or with any benefit for other clinical outcomes. The certainty of the evidence... read more

Effect of a Single High Dose of Vitamin D3 on Hospital LOS in Patients with COVID-19

Among hospitalized patients with COVID-19, a single high dose of vitamin D3, compared with placebo, did not significantly reduce hospital length of stay. The findings do not support the use of a high dose of vitamin D3 for... read more

Early Intervention for the Treatment of Acute Laryngeal Injury After Intubation

This study suggests that early intervention for patients with postintubation laryngeal injury was associated with a decreased duration of tracheostomy dependence, a higher rate of decannulation, and fewer surgical procedures... read more

RECOVERY trial shows tocilizumab reduces deaths in patients hospitalised with COVID-19

The NIHR-supported RECOVERY trial has shown that tocilizumab - an anti-inflammatory rheumatoid arthritis treatment - reduces the risk of death for hospitalised patients with severe COVID-19. Researchers also found that... read more

Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines on the Management of Adults with COVID-19 in the ICU

The Surviving Sepsis Campaign Coronavirus Disease 2019 panel issued several recommendations to guide healthcare professionals caring for adults with critical or severe coronavirus disease 2019 in the ICU. Based on a living... read more

FDA Limits Use of Convalescent Plasma as COVID-19 Treatment

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is scaling back its authorization of the use of convalescent blood-plasma for COVID-19 patients in an effort to guide physicians who have faced a confusing thicket of data about the... read more

Mortality of Older Patients Admitted to an ICU

In this systematic review of older patients admitted to intensive care, we have documented substantial variation in short- and long-term mortality as well as in prognostic factors evaluated. To better understand this... read more

Allergic Reactions After First Dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine

Anaphylactic reactions to the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are rare, usually occur within 30 minutes of administration, and are readily treatable. From December 14-23, 2020, following administration... read more

High-dose Vitamin C in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients

This pilot trial showed that high-dose intravenous vitamin C (HDIVC) failed to improve IMVFD28, but might show a potential signal of benefit in oxygenation for critically ill patients with COVID-19 improving PaO2/FiO2 even... read more

Colchicine, the only effective oral medication for treating non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients

The Montreal Heart Institute announced COLCORONA clinical trial has provided clinically persuasive results of colchicine's efficacy to treat COVID-19. The study results show that colchicine reduces the risk of death or... read more

Full-dose blood thinners decreased need for life support and improved outcomes in COVID-19 patients

Full dose anticoagulation (blood thinner) treatments given to patients hospitalized for COVID-19 reduced the requirement of vital organ support in a large clinical trial conducted worldwide. With large numbers of COVID-19... read more

ICU Strain and Mortality Risk Among Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected numerous communities, and reports of overburdened hospitals, specifically critical care units, have become commonplace. High-quality supportive care remains the... read more

Harnessing a Pioneering Cell Therapy Treatment for COVID-19 Patients with ARF

A world-leading UK-wide trial supported by NIHR is offering a pioneering cell therapy treatment for patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF) caused by COVID-19. The groundbreaking study, led by experts at Queen's... read more

Apnoeic Oxygenation for Emergency Anaesthesia of Pre-hospital Trauma Patients

Apnoeic oxygenation did not influence peri-intubation oxygen saturations, but it did reduce the frequency and duration of hypoxia in the post-intubation period. Given that apnoeic oxygenation is a simple low-cost intervention... read more

Critical Care Management of Infectious Meningitis and Encephalitis

Central nervous system (CNS) infections represent 2.9% of the infections encountered in the intensive care unit (ICU). Among them, infectious meningitis and encephalitis, regardless of their community or healthcare-associated... read more

Ketamine for PTSD Treatment

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) continues to be a problematic psychiatric condition that can be difficult to treat. SSRIs are the first-line treatment, and they are the only pharmaceutical class approved – their use... read more

COVID-19 Blood Plasma Trial Finds No Benefit in Severely Ill Patients

An international trial testing convalescent blood plasma on COVID-19 patients with moderate and severe illness has halted enrolment of severely ill COVID-19 patients requiring intensive care after it found no benefit. The... read more

Adverse Events in the ICU During Bed-Bath Procedures

Serious adverse events were observed in one-half of patients and concerned one-fifth of nurses, confirming the need for caution. Further studies are needed to test systematic serious adverse event prevention strategies. The... read more