The potential of heparin-induced extracorporeal LDL/fibrinogen precipitation (H.E.L.P.)-apheresis for patients with severe acute or chronic COVID-19
Patients with long COVID and acute COVID should benefit from treatment with H.E.L.P. apheresis, which is in clinical use for 37 years. COVID-19 can cause a severe acute multi-organ illness and, subsequently, in many patients the chronic illness long-COVID/PASC. The alveolar tissue and adjacent capil...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2022.1007636/full |
| _version_ | 1797996661844213760 |
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| author | Beate Roxane Jaeger Hayley Emma Arron Wiltrud M. Kalka-Moll Dietrich Seidel |
| author_facet | Beate Roxane Jaeger Hayley Emma Arron Wiltrud M. Kalka-Moll Dietrich Seidel |
| author_sort | Beate Roxane Jaeger |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Patients with long COVID and acute COVID should benefit from treatment with H.E.L.P. apheresis, which is in clinical use for 37 years. COVID-19 can cause a severe acute multi-organ illness and, subsequently, in many patients the chronic illness long-COVID/PASC. The alveolar tissue and adjacent capillaries show inflammatory and procoagulatory activation with cell necrosis, thrombi, and massive fibrinoid deposits, namely, unsolvable microthrombi, which results in an obstructed gas exchange. Heparin-induced extracorporeal LDL/fibrinogen precipitation (H.E.L.P.) apheresis solves these problems by helping the entire macro- and microcirculation extracorporeally. It uses unfractionated heparin, which binds the spike protein and thereby should remove the virus (debris). It dissolves the forming microthrombi without bleeding risk. It removes large amounts of fibrinogen (coagulation protein), which immediately improves the oxygen supply in the capillaries. In addition, it removes the precursors of both the procoagulatory and the fibrinolytic cascade, thus de-escalating the entire hemostaseological system. It increases myocardial, cerebral, and pulmonary blood flow rates, and coronary flow reserve, facilitating oxygen exchange in the capillaries, without bleeding risks. Another factor in COVID is the “cytokine storm” harming microcirculation in the lungs and other organs. Intervention by H.E.L.P. apheresis could prevent uncontrollable coagulation and inflammatory activity by removing cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and TNF-α, and reduces C-reactive protein, and eliminating endo- and ecto-toxins, without touching protective IgM/IgG antibodies, leukocyte, or platelet function. The therapy can be used safely in combination with antiviral drugs, antibiotics, anticoagulants, or antihypertensive drugs. Long-term clinical experience with H.E.L.P. apheresis shows it cannot inflict harm upon patients with COVID-19. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T10:20:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d565592e98b54b7c930a3226b00441ea |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2297-055X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T10:20:54Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-d565592e98b54b7c930a3226b00441ea2022-12-22T04:29:46ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine2297-055X2022-10-01910.3389/fcvm.2022.10076361007636The potential of heparin-induced extracorporeal LDL/fibrinogen precipitation (H.E.L.P.)-apheresis for patients with severe acute or chronic COVID-19Beate Roxane Jaeger0Hayley Emma Arron1Wiltrud M. Kalka-Moll2Dietrich Seidel3Lipidzentrum Nordrhein, Mülheim, GermanyDepartment of Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South AfricaInstitut für infektiologische und mikrobiologische Beratung (Infactio®), Bedburg, GermanyInstitut tür Klinische Chemie und Laboratoriumsmedizin, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, GermanyPatients with long COVID and acute COVID should benefit from treatment with H.E.L.P. apheresis, which is in clinical use for 37 years. COVID-19 can cause a severe acute multi-organ illness and, subsequently, in many patients the chronic illness long-COVID/PASC. The alveolar tissue and adjacent capillaries show inflammatory and procoagulatory activation with cell necrosis, thrombi, and massive fibrinoid deposits, namely, unsolvable microthrombi, which results in an obstructed gas exchange. Heparin-induced extracorporeal LDL/fibrinogen precipitation (H.E.L.P.) apheresis solves these problems by helping the entire macro- and microcirculation extracorporeally. It uses unfractionated heparin, which binds the spike protein and thereby should remove the virus (debris). It dissolves the forming microthrombi without bleeding risk. It removes large amounts of fibrinogen (coagulation protein), which immediately improves the oxygen supply in the capillaries. In addition, it removes the precursors of both the procoagulatory and the fibrinolytic cascade, thus de-escalating the entire hemostaseological system. It increases myocardial, cerebral, and pulmonary blood flow rates, and coronary flow reserve, facilitating oxygen exchange in the capillaries, without bleeding risks. Another factor in COVID is the “cytokine storm” harming microcirculation in the lungs and other organs. Intervention by H.E.L.P. apheresis could prevent uncontrollable coagulation and inflammatory activity by removing cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and TNF-α, and reduces C-reactive protein, and eliminating endo- and ecto-toxins, without touching protective IgM/IgG antibodies, leukocyte, or platelet function. The therapy can be used safely in combination with antiviral drugs, antibiotics, anticoagulants, or antihypertensive drugs. Long-term clinical experience with H.E.L.P. apheresis shows it cannot inflict harm upon patients with COVID-19.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2022.1007636/fullH.E.L.P. apheresisPASCCOVID-19long COVIDSARS-CoV-2heparin |
| spellingShingle | Beate Roxane Jaeger Hayley Emma Arron Wiltrud M. Kalka-Moll Dietrich Seidel The potential of heparin-induced extracorporeal LDL/fibrinogen precipitation (H.E.L.P.)-apheresis for patients with severe acute or chronic COVID-19 Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine H.E.L.P. apheresis PASC COVID-19 long COVID SARS-CoV-2 heparin |
| title | The potential of heparin-induced extracorporeal LDL/fibrinogen precipitation (H.E.L.P.)-apheresis for patients with severe acute or chronic COVID-19 |
| title_full | The potential of heparin-induced extracorporeal LDL/fibrinogen precipitation (H.E.L.P.)-apheresis for patients with severe acute or chronic COVID-19 |
| title_fullStr | The potential of heparin-induced extracorporeal LDL/fibrinogen precipitation (H.E.L.P.)-apheresis for patients with severe acute or chronic COVID-19 |
| title_full_unstemmed | The potential of heparin-induced extracorporeal LDL/fibrinogen precipitation (H.E.L.P.)-apheresis for patients with severe acute or chronic COVID-19 |
| title_short | The potential of heparin-induced extracorporeal LDL/fibrinogen precipitation (H.E.L.P.)-apheresis for patients with severe acute or chronic COVID-19 |
| title_sort | potential of heparin induced extracorporeal ldl fibrinogen precipitation h e l p apheresis for patients with severe acute or chronic covid 19 |
| topic | H.E.L.P. apheresis PASC COVID-19 long COVID SARS-CoV-2 heparin |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2022.1007636/full |
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