COVID-19-associated ARDS Treated With Dexamethasone: Alliance Covid-19 Brasil III

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome COronaVirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) is a new and recognized infectious disease of the respiratory tract. Most cases are mild or asymptomatic. However, around 5% of all patients develop Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), which is the leading mortality cause in these patients. Corticosteroids have been tested in deferent scenarios of ARDS, including viral pneumonia, and the early use of dexamethasone is safe and appears to reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation in ARDS patients. Nevertheless, no large, randomized, controlled trial was performed evaluating the role of corticosteroids in patients with ARDS due SARS-CoV2 virus. Therefore, the present study will evaluate the effectiveness of dexamethasone compared to control (no corticosteroids) in patients with moderate and severe ARDS due to SARS-CoV2 virus.

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome COronaVirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) is a new and recognized infectious disease of the respiratory tract, and its outbreak deemed a pandemic in early March 2020. Estimates show around 5% of all patients develop Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), which due to its severity, consumes most Intensive Care Units (ICU) resources and is the leading mortality cause in this population. Given its burden, therapies that reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation or decrease the morbimortality are needed. Studies indicate that inflammation and cytokine storm might be involved in the pathophysiological pathway to ARDS in these patients. Corticosteroids have been tested in deferent scenarios of ARDS, including viral pneumonia, and the early use of dexamethasone is safe and appears to reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation in ARDS patients. A recent small retrospective study evaluating the role of corticosteroids found no association between corticosteroids and hospital length of stay, virus clearance, and symptoms' duration. However, the retrospective nature of data, small sample size (31 patients), and no protocol for corticosteroids administration undermine its results. Therefore, the present study will evaluate the effectiveness of dexamethasone compared to control (no corticosteroids) in ventilator-free days at 28 days in patients with moderate and severe ARDS due to SARS-CoV2 virus in Brazil.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* Probable or confirmed infection by SARS-CoV2
* Intubated and mechanically ventilated
* Moderate/severe ARDS defined by the Berlin criteria (PaO2/FiO2 ≤200mmHg with PEEP ≥5cmH20)
* Onset of moderate/severe ARDS in less than 48 hours before randomization

Exclusion Criteria:

* Pregnancy or active lactation
* Known history of dexamethasone allergy
* Daily use of corticosteroids in the past 15 days
* Clinical indication for corticosteroids use for other diseases (i.e refractory septic shock)
* Patients who did use corticosteroids during hospital stay for periods equal or greater than two days
* Use of immunosuppressive drugs
* Cytotoxic chemotherapy in the past 21 days
* Neutropenia due to hematological or solid malignancies with bone marrow invasion
* Patient expected to die in the next 24 hours