Heparin Therapy Improving Hypoxia in COVID-19 Patients - A Case Series.

Introduction: Elevated D-dimer is a predictor of severity and mortality in COVID-19 patients, and heparin use during in-hospital stay has been associated with decreased mortality. COVID-19 patient autopsies have revealed thrombi in the microvasculature, suggesting that hypercoagulability is a prominent feature of organ failure in these patients. Interestingly, in COVID-19, pulmonary compliance is preserved despite severe hypoxemia corroborating the hypothesis that perfusion mismatch may play a significant role in the development of respiratory failure.

Pentraxin 3 accelerates lung injury in high tidal volume ventilation in mice.

Mechanical ventilation is the major cause of iatrogenic lung damage in intensive care units. Although inflammation is known to be involved in ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI), several aspects of this process are still unknown. Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is an acute phase protein with important regulatory functions in inflammation which has been found elevated in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Cholinergic hyperresponsiveness of peripheral lung parenchyma in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Up to 60% of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients can present airway hyperresponsiveness. However, it is not known whether the peripheral lung tissue also shows an exaggerated response to agonists in COPD.

Objectives: To investigate the in vitro mechanical behavior and the structural and inflammatory changes of peripheral lung tissue in COPD patients and compare to nonsmoking controls.