Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32329881›Full record

ArticleEuropean review for medical and pharmacological sciences2020

Eculizumab treatment in patients with COVID-19: preliminary results from real life ASL Napoli 2 Nord experience.

F Diurno, F G Numis, G Porta, F Cirillo, S Maddaluno, A Ragozzino, P De Negri, C Di Gennaro, A Pagano, E Allegorico and 21 more

Abstract readComment
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In one paragraph

Article in European review for medical and pharmacological sciences, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 239 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
239citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
8.3field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

239 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 337 citations in OpenAlex.

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179 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

31 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

F DiurnoDepartment of Emergency and Critical Care, ASL Napoli 2 Nord, "S.M. delle Grazie Hospital", Pozzuoli (NA), Italy. gaetano.facchini@aslnapoli2nord.it.
F G Numis
G Porta
F Cirillo
S Maddaluno
A Ragozzino
P De Negri
C Di Gennaro
A Pagano
E Allegorico
L Bressy
G Bosso
A Ferrara
C Serra
A Montisci
M D'Amico
S Schiano Lo Morello
G Di Costanzo
A G Tucci
P Marchetti
U Di Vincenzo
I Sorrentino
A Casciotta
M Fusco
C Buonerba
M Berretta
M Ceccarelli
G Nunnari
Y Diessa
S Cicala
G Facchini
Nini Hospital · LB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveSARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2)-related pneumonia, referred to as COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 19), is a public health emergency as it carries high morbidity, mortality, and has no approved specific pharmacological treatments. In this case series, we aimed to report preliminary data obtained with anti-complement C5 therapy with eculizumab in COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) of ASL Napoli 2 Nord. PATIENTS AND

methodsThis is a case series of patients with a confirmed diagnosis of SARS-CoV2 infection and severe pneumonia or ARDS who were treated with up to 4 infusions of eculizumab as an off-label agent. Patients were also treated with anticoagulant therapy with Enoxaparin 4000 IU/day via subcutaneous injection, antiviral therapy with Lopinavir 800 mg/day + Ritonavir 200 mg/day, hydroxychloroquine 400 mg/day, ceftriaxone 2 g/day IV, vitamine C 6 g/day for 4 days, and were on Non-Invasive Ventilation (NIV).

resultsWe treated four COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit because of severe pneumonia or ARDS. All patients successfully recovered after treatment with eculizumab. Eculizumab induced a drop in inflammatory markers. Mean C Reactive Protein levels dropped from 14.6 mg/dl to 3.5 mg/dl and the mean duration of the disease was 12.8 days.

conclusionsEculizumab has the potential to be a key player in treatment of severe cases of COVID-19. Our results support eculizumab use as an off-label treatment of COVID-19, pending confirmation from the ongoing SOLID-C19 trial.

Indexed as

CoronavirusSevere Acute Respiratory SyndromeAntibodies, Monoclonal, HumanizedBetacoronavirusComplement ActivationCoronavirus InfectionsCOVID-19HumansPandemicsPneumonia, ViralSARS-CoV-2Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanizedeculizumab

Identifiers

PMID32329881
OpenAlexW3018424597

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.