https://doi.org/10.4081/monaldi.2021.1811
Pulmonary function, computerized tomography features and six-minute walk test at three months in severe COVID-19 patients treated with intravenous pulsed methylprednisolone: a preliminary report
Submitted: February 19, 2021
Accepted: April 28, 2021
Published: July 19, 2021
Accepted: April 28, 2021
Abstract Views: 2293
PDF: 869
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All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Authors
COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has a high mortality and few therapeutic options. We present a preliminary report on our experience using high-dose pulsed methylprednisolone in COVID-19 ARDS and three-month outcomes. We performed a retrospective analysis of all patients treated with high-dose methylprednisolone for COVID-19 ARDS and three-month lung function, 6-minutes walking test (6MWT), and computerized tomography (CT) findings. Fifteen patients were treated of which 10 survived to discharge. Reduced diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) was the commonest abnormality in lung function tests and had the lowest mean value. Parenchymal bands were the commonest CT finding and 50% of patients had fibrosis at three months. Mean 6-minutes walk distance (6MWD) was 65.4% predicted and was abnormal in 62.5% of patients. In this cohort of patients with COVID-19 ARDS treated with high-dose methylprednisolone pulses, CT, lung function, and 6MWT abnormalities were unsurprisingly common at three months, although all 10 patients treated early in their disease course survived, a possible therapeutic effect. Further randomised controlled trials are needed to assess the benefits of this treatment.
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How to Cite
van Zeller, Cristiano, Asad Anwar, Nordita Ramos-Bascon, Natalie Barnes, and Brendan Madden. 2021. “Pulmonary Function, Computerized Tomography Features and Six-Minute Walk Test at Three Months in Severe COVID-19 Patients Treated With Intravenous Pulsed Methylprednisolone: A Preliminary Report”. Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease 91 (4). https://doi.org/10.4081/monaldi.2021.1811.
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