Topline
Blood thinning drugs can reduce the risk of death in Covid-19 patients, a group of British and American researchers said in a paper Thursday, which has demanded that the commonly available drugs be given as a protective measure for patients arriving at the hospital.
blood thinning drugs could help reduce the risk of death from Covid-19 according to a new study
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Key facts
About 14% of patients who received blood thinners died within 24 hours of being admitted to hospital from Covid-19, compared with 19% of patients who died who did not receive the drug , according to a new observational study in the British Medical Journal Thursday.
A total of 3,627 patients received the blood-thinning heparin within 24 hours of hospital admission.
The researchers said the findings, based on data from more than 4,000 male patients from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs who were admitted to the hospital with Covid-19, “provide strong evidence in the the world ”to support the use of blood thinners as an immune treatment. in coronavirus patients.
Some Covid-19 deaths are believed to be caused by developing blood clots in primary veins and arteries, a process that can be inhibited by blood thinning drugs.
Because the study is observationally based, clinical trials will be needed to say with certainty whether the drugs can help strengthen survival chances for Covid-19 patients.
Quote Cruise
Dr Mark Skidmore, Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry at Keele University in the UK, said the study was “very robust… with strong, high-quality data supporting prophylactic heparin (the drug) treatment when he will be admitted to the hospital. ”Skidmore said the“ clear implications for reviewing clinical practice on Covid patients ’hospital admissions,” says the “significant reduction in mortality is extremely helpful. ”
Further reading
Early start of prophylactic anticoagulation for 2019 coronavirus infection mortality prevention in hospitalized patients in the United States: a cohort study (BMJ)
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