Even as the scientists world over are trying different drugs to fight the coronavirus, a group of researchers have suggested the use of blood thinners or anticoagulants in the treatment of Covid-19 patients.
The study done by Mount Sinai Covid Informatics Centre found that hospitalized patients treated with anticoagulants had improved outcomes both in and out of the intensive care unit setting.
The study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggested that the use of blood thinners that slow down clotting could improve the chances of survival.
“This research demonstrates anticoagulants taken orally, subcutaneously, or intravenously may play a major role in caring for COVID-19 patients, and these may prevent possible deadly events associated with coronavirus, including heart attack, stroke, and pulmonary embolism,” says senior corresponding author Valentin Fuster, MD, Ph.D., Director of Mount Sinai Heart.
“Using anticoagulants should be considered when patients get admitted to the ER and have tested positive for COVID-19 to possibly improve outcomes. However, each case should be evaluated an individualized basis to account for potential bleeding risk,” he said.
The team evaluated records of 2,773 confirmed COVID-19-positive patients admitted to five hospitals in the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City (The Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai West, Mount Sinai Morningside, Mount Sinai Queens, and Mount Sinai Brooklyn) between March 14 and April 11, 2020.
