TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — A research team at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH) has joined a national study to see if blood thinners could be a viable treatment for COVID-19 positive individuals.
The study seeks to see if blood thinners can help prevent life-threatening blood clots in COVID-19 patients who don't require hospitalization.
According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), which is overseeing the study, researchers have found that many patients who died from COVID-19 had formed blood clots throughout their bodies.
Blood clots can then travel through the bloodstream to other parts of the body and trigger heart attacks, strokes, pulmonary embolisms and other life-threatening problems.
Blood thinners help prevent blood clots from forming and have been used for many years to help prevent heart attacks and strokes in older adults who have been diagnosed with heart and blood vessel diseases.
Dr. Claudia Kroker-Bode is leading TMH’s research team for the ACTIV-4 Outpatient trial.
“At Tallahassee Memorial, we’re on the forefront of advancing care,” said Kroker-Bode. “We’re proud to be participating and have our expert clinical research team working side-by-side with the nation’s top hospitals to find an effective treatment for COVID-19 patients.”
The study, funded through the White House’s Operation Warp Speed initiative, is currently recruiting 7,000 participants at more than 100 sites worldwide to test the safety and effectiveness of blood thinners as a treatment for COVID-19.
Adults 40 and older who are COVID-19 positive in the Big Bend region who are interested in participating in the study should contact the TMH Office of Research at CovidResearch@TMH.ORG.
For questions or more information, please visit TMH.ORG/Coronavirus.
