Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34040779›Full record

ArticleMultidisciplinary respiratory medicine2021

Effects of cytokine blocking agents on hospital mortality in patients admitted to ICU with acute respiratory distress syndrome by SARS-CoV-2 infection: retrospective cohort study.

Irene Coloretti, Stefano Busani, Emanuela Biagioni, Sophie Venturelli, Elena Munari, Marco Sita, Lorenzo DallAra, Martina Tosi, Enrico Clini, Roberto Tonelli and 7 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Multidisciplinary respiratory medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.2field-weighted citation impact, top 48% 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

2 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Irene ColorettiIntensive Care Unit, University Hospital of Modena.
Stefano BusaniIntensive Care Unit, University Hospital of Modena.
Emanuela BiagioniIntensive Care Unit, University Hospital of Modena.
Sophie VenturelliIntensive Care Unit, University Hospital of Modena.
Elena MunariIntensive Care Unit, University Hospital of Modena.
Marco SitaIntensive Care Unit, University Hospital of Modena.
Lorenzo DallAraIntensive Care Unit, University Hospital of Modena.
Martina TosiIntensive Care Unit, University Hospital of Modena.
Enrico CliniRespiratory Disease Unit, University Hospital of Modena.
Roberto TonelliRespiratory Disease Unit, University Hospital of Modena.
Riccardo FantiniRespiratory Disease Unit, University Hospital of Modena.
Cristina MussiniInfectious Disease Unit, University Hospital of Modena.
Marianna MeschiariInfectious Disease Unit, University Hospital of Modena.
Giovanni GuaraldiInfectious Disease Unit, University Hospital of Modena.
Andrea CossarizzaImmunology Laboratory, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.
Gaetano AlfanoNephrology Dialysis and Transplant Unit, University Hospital of Modena, Italy.
Massimo GirardisIntensive Care Unit, University Hospital of Modena.
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe use of cytokine-blocking agents has been proposed to modulate the inflammatory response in patients with COVID-19. Tocilizumab and anakinra were included in the local protocol as an optional treatment in critically ill patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) by SARS-CoV-2 infection. This cohort study evaluated the effects of therapy with cytokine blocking agents on in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients requiring mechanical ventilation and admitted to intensive care unit.

methodsThe association between therapy with tocilizumab or anakinra and in-hospital mortality was assessed in consecutive adult COVID-19 patients admitted to our ICU with moderate to severe ARDS. The association was evaluated by comparing patients who received to those who did not receive tocilizumab or anakinra and by using different multivariable Cox models adjusted for variables related to poor outcome, for the propensity to be treated with tocilizumab or anakinra and after patient matching.

resultsSixty-six patients who received immunotherapy (49 tocilizumab, 17 anakinra) and 28 patients who did not receive immunotherapy were included. The in-hospital crude mortality was 30,3% in treated patients and 50% in nontreated (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.56-1.05, p=0.069). The adjusted Cox model showed an association between therapy with immunotherapy and in-hospital mortality (HR 0.40, 95% CI 0.19-0.83, p=0.015). This protective effect was further confirmed in the analysis adjusted for propensity score, in the propensity-matched cohort and in the cohort of patients with invasive mechanical ventilation within 2 hours after ICU admission.

conclusionsAlthough important limitations, our study showed that cytokine-blocking agents seem to be safe and to improve survival in COVID-19 patients admitted to ICU with ARDS and the need for mechanical ventilation.

Indexed as

acute respiratory distress syndromeanakinraCOVID-19intensive care unitmechanical ventilationtocilizumab

Identifiers

PMID34040779
PMCPMC8139121
OpenAlexW3136805283

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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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.