Prostacyclin in Intubated Patients with COVID-19 and Severe Endotheliopathy: A Multicenter, Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Rationale

The mortality in patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) who require mechanical ventilation remains high, and endotheliopathy has been implicated.

Objectives

To determine the effect of prostacyclin infusion in mechanically ventilated patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 with severe endotheliopathy.

Methods

We conducted a multicenter, randomized clinical trial in adults infected with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) who required mechanical ventilation and had a plasma level of thrombomodulin >4 ng/ml; patients were randomized to 72-hour infusion of prostacyclin 1 ng/kg/min or placebo.

Measurements and Main Results

The main outcome was the number of days alive and without mechanical ventilation within 28 days. Key secondary outcomes were 28-day mortality and serious adverse events within 7 days. Eighty patients were randomized (41 prostacyclin and 39 placebo). The median number of days alive without mechanical ventilation at 28 days was 16.0 days (SD, 12) versus 5.0 days (SD, 10) (difference of the medians, 10.96 days; 95% confidence interval [CI], −5 to 21; P = 0.07) in the prostacyclin and the placebo groups, respectively. The 28-day mortality was 21.9% versus 43.6% in the prostacyclin and the placebo groups, respectively (risk ratio, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.24 to 0.96; P = 0.06). The incidence of serious adverse events within 7 days was 2.4% versus 12.8% (risk ratio, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.001 to 1.11; P = 0.10) in the prostacyclin and the placebo groups, respectively.

Conclusions

Prostacyclin was not associated with a significant reduction in the number of days alive and without mechanical ventilation within 28 days. The point estimates, however, favored the prostacyclin group in all analyses, including 28-day mortality, warranting further investigation in larger trials.

Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT 04420741); EudraCT Identifier: 2020-001296-33.