Clinical Trials and Expanded Access

Experimental intervention: Insertion of Extracorporal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) within 24 hours of referral to an Intensive Care Unit. Control intervention: Insertion of Extracorporal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) as rescue therapy following failure of conventional therapy for ARDS. This conventional therapy will be standardized to reduce bias. Duration of intervention per patient: varies, depending on severity of pulmonary compromise Follow-up per patient: Until hospital discharge Accompanying measures: Serum Samples and bronchoscopy samples of patients included into the trial for secondary analysis of inflammatory parameters and potential biomarkers

There is significant interest throughout the United States in performing a well-designed study to evaluate whether there is value in using Hydroxychloroquine or Chloroquine as a pre-exposure prophylaxis or post-exposure prophylaxis regimen for COVID-19 patients and at risk personnel. We have designed a prospective double blinded randomized controlled clinical trial to answer just this question. The study will consist of 4 arms: 1. A placebo control arm of 450 patients 2. A low dose prophylaxis arm of 450 patients treated with 200mg Hydroxychloroquine daily 3. A high dose prophylaxis arm of 450 patients treated with 400mg Hydroxychloroquine daily 4. A post-exposure arm of 100 patients treated with 400mg Hydroxychloroquine daily for 7 days.

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of ascorbic acid (vitamin c) and zinc gluconate in reducing duration of symptoms in patients diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Patients above the age of 18 who present to the Cleveland Clinic outpatient testing and receive a positive test for COVID-19 will be invited to participate.

Mortality from Covid-19 increases with age, reaching 14.8% from the age of 80. The severity of the infection is linked to the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) which requires intensive care. ARDS is the consequence of the reactional inflammatory storm that damages the lungs. Aged subjects are particularly prone to zinc and vitamin D deficiency. These two micronutrients are able to modulate the immune response by reducing the inflammatory storm. The hypothesis is that supplementation with zinc and vitamin D would reduce the inflammatory reaction which worsens ARDS and leads to the death of subjects infected with Covid-19.

The investigators hypothesize that JAK 1/2 inhibition with ruxolitinib, an FDA approved treatment for intermediate or high-risk myelofibrosis, could have a similar effect in patients with severe COVID-19, quelling the immune-hyperactivation, allowing for clearance of the virus and reversal of the disease manifestations.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-2019) is a devastating viral illness that originated in Wuhan China in late 2019 and there are nearly 2 million confirmed cases. The mortality rate is approximately 5% of reported cases and over half of patients that require mechanical ventilation for respiratory failure. As the disease continues to spread, strategies for reducing duration of ventilator support in patients with COVID-19 could significantly reduce morbidity and mortality of these individuals and future patients requiring this severely limited life-saving resource. Methods to improve gas exchange and to reduce the inflammatory response in COVID-19 are desperately needed to save lives. The ketogenic diet is a high fat, low carbohydrate, adequate-protein diet that promotes metabolic ketosis (ketone body production) through hepatic metabolism of fatty acids. High fat, low carbohydrate diets have been shown to reduce duration of ventilator support and partial pressure carbon dioxide in patients with acute respiratory failure. In addition, metabolic ketosis reduces systemic inflammation. This mechanism could be leveraged to halt the cytokine storm characteristic of COVID-19 infection. The hypothesis of this study is that the administration of a ketogenic diet will improve gas exchange, reduce inflammation, and duration of mechanical ventilation. The plan is to enroll 15 intubated patients with COVID 19 infection and administer a 4:1 ketogenic formula during their intubation.

INTRODUCTION As there is no specific cure in the treatment of COVID-19 at this moment of the pandemic, supportive management including mechanical ventilation is the core management in an intensive care unit (ICU). It is a challenge to provide consistent care in this situation of high demand and potential staff shortage in ICU. Also, the investigators need to reduce unnecessary exposure of the providers to the virus. This study aims to examine the impact of care using a non-invasive oscillating device (NIOD) for chest physiotherapy in the care of mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19. METHODS Objective: To explore if a NIOD performed by non-specialized personnel is not inferior to the standard Chest PhysioTherapy (CPT) in the care of COVID-19. Design: A Pilot Multicenter Prospective Crossover Randomized Study. Setting: Two ICUs in Canadian Academic Hospitals (CHU Sainte Justine and Montreal General Hospital) Patients: All the mechanically ventilated patients admitted to the two ICUs, and CPT ordered by the responsible physician, with COVID-19 infection during the study period. Procedure: The investigators will implement NIOD and CPT alternatingly for 3 hours apart over 3 hours. We will apply a pragmatic design, so that other procedures including hypertonic saline nebulization, Intermittent Positive Pressure Ventilation (IPPV), suctioning (e.g., oral or nasal), or changing the ventilator settings or modality can be provided at the direction of bedside intensivists in charge. The order of the procedures (i.e. NIOD or CPT) will be randomly allocated. Measurements and Analyses: The primary outcome measure is the oxygenation level before and after the procedure (SpO2/FIO2 (SF) ratio). For the cases with Invasive ventilation and non-invasive ventilation, the investigators will also document expiratory tidal volume, vital signs, and any related complications such as vomiting, desaturations, or unexpected extubations. The investigators will collect the data before, 10 minutes after, and 30 minutes after the procedure. Sample Size: The investigators estimate the necessary sample size as 25 for each arm (Total 50 cases), with a power of 0.90, alfa of 0.05, with the non-inferiority design. FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS This randomized pilot study will be considered a running phase if the investigators can/should undertake the RCT which should follow without significant modification of the methods.

Although the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVD-19) is classified as an acute respiratory infection, emerging data show that morbidity and mortality are driven by disseminated intravascular coagulopathy. Untreated CAC leads to microangiopathic thromboses, causing multiple systems organ failure and consuming enormous healthcare resources. Identifying strategies to prevent CAC are therefore crucial to reducing COVID-19 hospitalization rates. The pathogenesis of CAC is unknown, but there are major overlaps between severe COVID-19 and vitamin D insufficiency (VDI). We hypothesize that VDI is a major underlying contributor to CAC. Preliminary data from severe COVID-19 patients in New Orleans support this hypothesis. The purpose of the proposed multi-center, prospective, randomized controlled trial is to test the hypothesis that low-risk, early treatment with aspirin and vitamin D in COVID-19 can mitigate the prothrombotic state and reduce hospitalization rates.

The project aims to clarify how immunity to SARS-CoV2 develops in humans and to investigate the possibility of finding patients with a particularly effective, neutralizing antibody response for future treatment. The project also aims to detail the virus's damage mechanisms in tissue.

Hydroxychloroquine, a derivative of chloroquine (an antimalarial drug) with a weak immunosuppressive effect, is prescribed by some teams alone or in combination with azithromycin. No randomized controlled trials have demonstrated its efficacy, particularly in primary care in the early stages of the disease. However, currently available data suggest better efficacy if treatment is given early in the disease, before symptoms worsen. To date, the majority of COVID-19 patients treated in outpatient care, particularly in general practice, represent the majority of COVID-19 patients. It is essential to evaluate, in primary care, the efficacy and safety of hydroxychloroquine combined with azithromycin in Covid-19 patients in order to be able to implement this therapeutic strategy as soon as the first symptoms appear. We realize a randomized, controlled, open superiority trial, in 2 parallel groups (ratio 1:1).The main objective is to assess the efficacy of Hydroxychloroquine combined with azithromycin in COVID-19 patients in primary care, in add-on to standard of care, on unfavorable outcome defined by the onset of at least one of the following between D0 and D14: hospitalization, death or percutaneous O² saturation ≤ 92% in ambient air.