Introduction An individualised thromboprophylaxis was implemented in critically ill patients suffering from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia to reduce mortality and improve clinical outcome. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of this intervention on clinical outcome. Methods In this mono-centric, controlled, before-after study, all consecutive adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia admitted to ICU from March 13th to April 20th 2020 were included. A thromboprophylaxis protocol, including augmented LMWH dosing, individually tailored with anti-Xa measurements and twice-weekly ultrasonography screening for DVT, was implemented on March 31th 2020. Primary endpoint is one-month mortality. Secondary outcomes include two-week and three-week mortality, the incidence of VTE, acute kidney injury and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). Multiple regression modelling was used to correct for differences between the two groups. Results 46 patients were included in the before group, 26 patients in the after group. One month mortality decreased from 39.13% to 3.85% (p < 0.001). After correction for confounding variables, one-month mortality was significantly higher in the before group (p = 0.02, OR 8.86 (1.46, 53.75)). The cumulative incidence of VTE and CRRT was respectively 41% and 30.4% in the before group and dropped to 15% (p = 0.03) and 3.8% (p = 0.01), respectively. After correction for confounding variables, risk of VTE (p = 0.03, 6.01 (1.13, 32.12)) and CRRT (p = 0.02, OR 19.21 (1.44, 255.86)) remained significantly higher in the before group. Conclusion Mortality, cumulative risk of VTE and need for CRRT may be significantly reduced in COVID-19 patients by implementation of a more aggressive thromboprophylaxis protocol. Future research should focus on confirmation of these results in a randomized design and on uncovering the mechanisms underlying these observations. Registration number NCT04394000 .

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A 30-year-old woman was admitted to the emergency department one and half hours after severe bupropion extended-release intoxication, estimated to be between 18 and 36 g. She initially presented with seizures and later developed signs of cardiotoxicity with persisting sustained ventricular tachycardia. Despite multiple defibrillation attempts and the administration of sodium bicarbonate, calcium gluconate and magnesium, restoration of sinus rhythm was found unsuccessful. In another attempt to treat this refractory ventricular tachycardia lidocaine was given followed by deterioration to asystole. During cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), the quality of chest compression was assessed and optimised using transoesophageal echocardiography. Eventually venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) was needed to achieve hemodynamic stability. In this case report we discuss the successful use of VA-ECMO after bupropion intoxication, which has only been reported in 3 other cases but should be considered as one of the treatment options in severe overdose cases. Also, the rare complication of asystole after lidocaine administration and the value of transoesophageal echocardiography during CPR will be discussed.