Open AccessAlmitrine for COVID-19 critically ill patients – a vascular therapy for a pulmonary vascular disease: Three case reports
Author(s) -
Pierre Huette,
Osama Abou-Arab,
Vincent Jounieaux,
Mathieu Guilbart,
M. Belhout,
Guillaume Haye,
Hervé Dupont,
Christophe Beyls,
Yazine Mahjoub
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
world journal of clinical cases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.368
H-Index - 10
ISSN - 2307-8960
DOI - 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i14.3385
Subject(s) - medicine , critically ill , covid-19 , intensive care medicine , vascular disease , pulmonary disease , disease , rescue therapy , critical illness , infectious disease (medical specialty) , pathology , outbreak
Several reports with clinical, histological and imaging data have observed the involvement of lung vascular function to explain the severe hypoxemia in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. It has been hypothesized that an increased pulmonary blood flow associated with an impairment of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction is responsible for an intrapulmonary shunt. COVID-19 may lead to refractory hypoxemia (PaO 2 /FiO 2 ratio below 100 mmHg) despite mechanical ventilation and prone positioning. We hypothesized that the use of a pulmonary vasoconstrictor may help decrease the shunt and thus enhance oxygenation.