IV Treatment for COVID-19: What you need to know
IV Treatment for COVID-19: What you need to know
The science of caring for COVID-19 continues to evolve as we learn more about treating the deadly virus.
Hundreds of thousands have been hospitalized throughout the pandemic. Many have perished, too. While there has not been a breakthrough treatment against the virus, several different options have come up during the pandemic – including many that are delivered intravenously.
Let’s talk about how IV therapy is helping in the fight against COVID-19.
COVID-19: A primer
In case you haven’t done a deep dive on COVID-19, the medical term quite literally means “coronavirus disease”. The virus was first detected in Wuhan, China back in 2019. Put all that information together, and you have COVID-19.1
Despite continuous media coverage on coronavirus, the virus itself has been around for quite a bit longer than most realize. In fact, this virus is similar to the SARS family – or severe acute respiratory syndrome – of illnesses that first appeared in 2002.2
COVID-19 appears to spread generally as an airborne illness, meaning if you share the air with someone who has the illness and they sneeze or cough, you’re putting yourself at risk of catching it.3 That’s why you’ve heard so much about the importance of wearing masks during the pandemic – it’s all about protecting yourself from harmful airborne particles.
Symptoms of COVID-19 generally include:4
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- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
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Treating COVID-19 with IV Therapy
Those who have been hospitalized with a severe case of COVID-19 generally have been treated with several different types of IV therapy drugs, but two drugs have already come to the forefront.
MORE: Read on the Causes, Signs, Side Effects, and Treatments for IV Infiltrations and Extravasations.
Remdesivir
Monoclonal Antibodies
There has also been movement recently on a new form of treatment for COVID-19: monoclonal antibodies.
Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory created antibodies specifically designed to help fight off COVID-19.
“These are antibodies that are similar to the ones your body would naturally make in response to infection. However, monoclonal antibodies are mass-produced in a laboratory and are designed to recognize a specific component of this virus — the spike protein on its outer shell.
By targeting the spike protein, these specific antibodies interfere with the virus’ ability to attach and gain entry into human cells. They give the immune system a leg up until it can mount its own response,” Dr. Howard J. Huang, medical director of the Houston Methodist Lung Transplant Center, said.
The FDA has also gotten on-board with the treatment through its emergency use authorization program.8
Generally, the treatment is most effective at the beginning stages of COVID-19. The FDA says the monoclonal antibody cocktail “was shown in clinical trials to reduce COVID-19-related hospitalization or emergency room visits in patients at high risk for disease progression within 28 days after treatment when compared to placebo.”9
Typically, these treatments are given in infusion centers.
Like any other IV therapy treatment, there exists the chance for complications such as infiltration, extravasation, and phlebitis.
MORE: IV Infiltration and Extravasation: Causes, Signs, Side Effects, and Treatment
At the end of the day, it remains important to listen to your healthcare team when it comes to treating COVID-19.