Therapeutic Anticoagulation vs. Usual Care in Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19 - REMAP-CAP, ACTIV-4a, and ATTACC
Contribution To Literature:
This multiplatform trial failed to show that therapeutic anticoagulation improved outcomes compared with usual care in critically ill patients with COVID-19 infection.
Description:
The goal of the trial was to evaluate therapeutic anticoagulation with heparin compared with usual care among critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection.
Study Design
- Randomized
- Parallel
- Open-label
- Multiplatform: To enhance power, three similarly designed trials were pooled: REMAP-CAP (Randomized, Embedded, Multifactorial Adaptive Platform Trial for Community-Acquired Pneumonia), ACTIV-4a (A Multicenter, Adaptive, Randomized Controlled Platform Trial of the Safety and Efficacy of Antithrombotic Strategies in Hospitalized Adults With COVID-19), and ATTACC (Antithrombotic Therapy to Ameliorate Complications of COVID-19).
Critically ill patients with COVID-19 infection were randomized to therapeutic anticoagulation (n = 591) versus usual care (n = 616).
- Total number of enrollees: 1,207
- Duration of follow-up: 21 days
- Mean patient age: 60 years
- Percentage female: 28%
- Percentage with diabetes: 32%
Inclusion criteria:
- Patients with COVID-19 infection requiring respiratory or cardiovascular organ intensive care unit (ICU) support
Exclusion criteria:
- Imminent risk for death
- Sensitivity to heparin
- High risk for bleeding, receiving dual antiplatelet therapy, or indication for therapeutic anticoagulation
Principal Findings:
The primary outcome, median organ support–free days, was 1 in the therapeutic anticoagulation group compared with 4 in the usual care group (probability of superiority = 5%, probability of futility = 99.9%, probability of inferiority = 95.0%).
Secondary outcomes:
- Survival to hospital discharge: 62.7% in the therapeutic anticoagulation group compared with 64.5% in the usual care group (probability of inferiority = 89.2%)
- Death or major thrombotic event: 40.1% in the therapeutic anticoagulation group compared with 41.1% in the usual care group (probability of inferiority = 59.7%)
- Major bleeding: 3.8% in the therapeutic anticoagulation group compared with 2.3% in the usual care group (probability of inferiority = 87.2%)
Interpretation:
Among critically ill patients with COVID-19 infection, therapeutic anticoagulation with heparin did not improve survival or organ support–free days. In fact, therapeutic anticoagulation was associated with a 95% probability of inferiority compared with usual care. The mechanism for the likely harm from therapeutic anticoagulation is uncertain, although potentially could cause bleeding at a microvascular level, resulting in worsening pulmonary alveolar hemorrhage.
References:
The REMAP-CAP, ACTIV-4a, and ATTACC Investigators. Therapeutic Anticoagulation With Heparin in Critically Ill Patients With Covid-19. N Engl J Med 2021;Aug 4:[Epub ahead of print].
Editorial: ten Cate H. Surviving Covid-19 With Heparin? N Engl J Med 2021;Aug 4:[Epub ahead of print].
Clinical Topics: Anticoagulation Management, COVID-19 Hub, Prevention
Keywords: Anticoagulants, Blood Coagulation, Coronavirus Infections, COVID-19, Critical Illness, Fibrinolytic Agents, Hemorrhage, Heparin, Intensive Care Units, Medical Futility, Patient Discharge, Primary Prevention, Respiration, Artificial, Thrombosis, Vascular Diseases
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