Search St Emlyn’s

A December 2022 appraisal of RECOVERY preprint results comparing higher-dose steroids with usual care in hospitalised COVID-19 patients receiving simple oxygen or none. It examines the mortality harm signal, early stopping and why these findings did not cover patients receiving ventilatory support.

A 2022 review of the RECOVERY trial's baricitinib comparison in hospitalised patients with COVID-19. It explains the adaptive trial design, examines 28-day mortality and considers the uncertainty about longer-term outcomes alongside other immunosuppressive treatments.

Writing in December 2021, Liz Crowe reflects on what the loss of physical touch during COVID-19 meant for patients, staff and families. She explores touch, wellbeing and ways to preserve compassion and connection when infection precautions limit contact.

An August 2021 appraisal of the RECOVERY-RS preprint comparing CPAP, high-flow nasal oxygen and conventional oxygen for COVID-19 respiratory failure. It separates the findings on intubation from those on mortality and examines early stopping, crossover and possible treatment-decision bias.

An August 2021 appraisal of therapeutic-dose heparin in hospitalised COVID-19 patients without ICU-level organ support. It examines the multiplatform trial's benefits, bleeding-risk exclusions and composite outcome, and explains why these findings differ from those in critically ill patients.

A June 2021 review of early RECOVERY results for casirivimab and imdevimab in hospitalised COVID-19 patients. It explains the reported mortality benefit in patients without detectable antibodies, why that finding did not extend to the whole trial population, and the preliminary evidence available then.

A June 2021 look at the first RECOVERY results for aspirin in hospitalised COVID-19 patients. The review considers the absence of a demonstrated mortality benefit, the balance between bleeding and thrombotic events, and the limits of the early results.

A March 2021 appraisal of anticoagulation trials in critically ill patients with COVID-19. Simon Carley and Dan Horner examine therapeutic-dose versus usual-care thromboprophylaxis, organ support outcomes and bleeding, explaining why the findings cannot simply be extended to ward patients or treatment of confirmed thrombosis.

A March 2021 review of the RECOVERY convalescent plasma preprint in hospitalised patients with COVID-19. It examines the absence of a survival benefit, donor antibody testing and subgroup findings, and reflects on why promising treatments still need randomised evidence.

A March 2021 update on RECOVERY's initial colchicine results in hospitalised patients with COVID-19. It reports the lack of a mortality benefit announced at the time, distinguishes these patients from community cases and notes that the full paper was still awaited.