Metoprolol is a drug widely used to treat cardiovascular diseases and is beneficial to COVID-19 patients
.
This is a study found by researchers from the National Cardiovascular Research Center (CNIC), published in the JACC journal
.
The most severe form of COVID-19 is severe respiratory failure, which requires intubation and is associated with high mortality
.
Pulmonary infection of SARS-CoV2 virus can progress to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), in which inflammation and excessive activation of neutrophils play a major role
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There is currently a lack of treatments for ARDS related to COVID-19
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The research was led by Dr.
Borja Ibáñez, who is the head of the CNIC’s Cardiovascular Imaging and Therapeutic Translation Laboratory.
The research team recently discovered that Metoprolol, a mature-blocker, can be used in acute stress situations.
Under circumstances, such as myocardial infarction, it has a highly selective effect on over-activated neutrophils
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Considering the central role played by neutrophils in ARDS, the research team speculated that metoprolol may be an effective drug for the treatment of patients with severe COVID-19
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Madrid-covid is a randomized clinical trial conducted by the FJD Hospital CNIC in close cooperation with cardiology, ICU, pulmonary and biobank services
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This preliminary study investigated the effect of intravenous metoprolol on pneumonia and respiratory function in severe COVID-19 patients after acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) intubation
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When introducing the study, Dr.
Ibáñez explained: “20 COVID-19 intubated patients were randomly divided into intravenous metoprolol (15 mg per day for more than 3 days) or a control group (not receiving metoprolol)
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We analyzed the inflammatory infiltration in bronchoalveolar fluid before and after treatment, and monitored clinical progress parameters such as oxygenation and mechanical ventilation days
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"
One of the authors, CNIC Ramón y Cajal researcher Eduardo Oliver, confirmed that intravenous metilol treatment "significantly reduced lung neutrophil infiltration and improved oxygenation
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" Intensive care expert Arnoldo Santos was responsible for coordinating the ICU of this study.
In part, he said, the team saw “a clear trend among patients treated with metoprolol, which requires fewer days of mechanical ventilation and therefore shorter stays in the ICU
.
”
Dr.
Ibáñez added: “Although we need to be cautious about the results of these preliminary trials, we have observed that metoprolol treatment is safe in this clinical setting, is associated with a significant reduction in lung infiltration, and seems to cause The patient’s oxygenation level improved very quickly
.
"
Therefore, the researchers proposed that intravenous metoprolol is a "promising intervention that can improve the prognosis of patients with severe COVID-19
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" They also emphasized that Metoprolol is a safe and cheap drug (the daily cost of treatment is less than 2) and that it is easily available
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Co-first author Agustín Clemente-Moragón added: "The effect of metoprolol on the excessive activation of inflammatory cells in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is unique to this receptor blocker
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" In a previous experiment In the study, the same group of researchers recently demonstrated that other apparently similar blockers have no effect on exacerbated lung inflammation
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Original search:
DOI 10.
1016 / j.
jacc.
2021.
07.
003
