[Peter Dow (OP)]

Asking for a friend.

COVID-19: Could a clot-busting drug help save the lives of patients on ventilators?
Medical News Today, Written by James Kingsland on April 9, 2020 - Fact checked by Hilary Guite, FFPH, MRCGP

reporting in layman's language on this -

Is There a Role for Tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA) as a Novel Treatment for Refractory COVID-19 Associated Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)?
Special Report. Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery: March 20, 2020 - Volume Publish Ahead of Print - Issue -
doi: 10.1097/TA.0000000000002694

"we believe an initial approach might be to administer 25mg of tPA over 2 hours followed by a 25mg tPA infusion administered over the subsequent 22 hours, with a dose not to exceed 0.9 mg/kg."

Hmm, if I am admitted to hospital suffering from COVID-19 and struggling even with oxygen therapy, I think I'd sooner try tissue plasminogen activator BEFORE they put me on a ventilator, to see if it helps me breathe more easily.

CBS TV news video: Deathly Ill Coronavirus Patients Could Be Saved By Heart Attack And Stroke Drug