How Inhaled Nitric Oxide Could Treat COVID-19
UAB announced this week it will start testing inhaled nitric oxide as a treatment for COVID-19 patients.
The study is open to 200 patients at eight locations internationally, including UAB. To qualify for the study, patients must test positive for the virus, be in the intensive care unit (ICU) and be receiving oxygen through a ventilator.
Dr. Pankaj Arora heads UAB’s effort. He says they often use nitric oxide to treat patients with failing lungs. The gas has been shown to improve blood flow to areas of the lungs that are receiving air, which helps boost the amount of oxygen circulating in the bloodstream, according to UAB. The gas also reduces the stress on the right side of the heart, which has to work harder when the lungs are in distress, as they often are in COVID-19 patients. Lung failure is the leading cause of death for patients with the virus.
“Improvement in the lung function and oxygenation along with improvement in the heart functions is anticipated primarily because there’s an improvement in the ventilation-perfusion matching in the lungs with the inhaled nitric oxide,” Arora says.
Nitric oxide was also used during the 2003 SARS pandemic and showed that it not only helped increase oxygen in patients, but also had anti-viral properties, according to Dr. Vibhu Parcha, a clinical research fellow with UAB’s Department of Cardiovascular Disease.
“Since the current strain of the coronavirus is quite similar to the one circulating back then, there’s a very high likelihood that this effective treatment strategy might help our sickest of the COVID-19 patients,” Parcha says.
Arora says for the first 48 hours of treatment, patients in the study will inhale a gas mixture that’s 80 parts per million of nitric oxide, which he calls a high dose. After the first 48 hours, patients will be stepped down to a dose of 40 parts per million for another 24 hours. Arora says they’ll then be able to see if the patients’ oxygen levels increase.
But Parcha warns there are potential side effects of taking high doses of nitric oxide.
“There’s a situation called formation of methemoglobin, which is a protein in your blood which decreases the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood,” Parcha says. “That just underlines the fact that all medical care in these times of unprecedented crisis should be done under the watch of a physician who is trained, who understands what we’re doing so that all adverse events that may develop are handled appropriately.”
UAB is one of only two centers currently recruiting patients, but Arora says a trial location at Lousiana State University should open soon. He says they expect to fill the 200 spots quickly, but that the trial itself could take anywhere from a few weeks to months.
Federal judge weighs whether Alabama’s anti-DEI law threatens First Amendment
The new state law, SB129, followed a slew of proposals from Republican lawmakers across the country taking aim at DEI programs on college campuses. Universities across the country have shuttered or rebranded student affinity groups and DEI offices.
The new film ‘Tatami’ reveals an Iranian judoka’s fight beyond the mat
In the first feature film co-directed by an Israeli and an Iranian, Tatami, an Iranian judoka must choose between her country and a run for the gold at the World Judo Championships.
U.S. uninsured rates could resurge if Trump’s budget bill passes
Millions could lose health insurance as the Trump administration and GOP-controlled Congress weigh major changes to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. "The effects could be catastrophic," one policy analyst predicts.
Several countries have privatized air traffic control. Should the U.S.?
An effort to privatize U.S. air traffic control in 2017 never took off. Now the aviation industry is uniting behind the Trump administration's plan to overhaul the system.
Whose lavish wedding is sparking protests this week? Find out in the quiz
From British royalty and billionaire antics to the latest in U.S. news, this week's quiz will make you feel smart and savvy at the dinner table.
Trump says the U.S. has signed a deal with China on trade, without giving details
The U.S. and China have signed an agreement on trade, President Donald Trump said, adding he expects to soon have a deal with India.