Ebola medical therapy
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Marjan Khan M.B.B.S.[2]
Overview
No specific antiviral drug has demonstrated effectiveness against Ebola infection. Management is primarily supportive and symptomatic. The following basic interventions, when used early, may improve the chances of survival: administration of intravenous fluids and correction of electrolyte abnormalities, maintenance of stable vital signs, and treatment against other co-infections or super-infections by antimicrobial agents. It is common practice to administer prophylactic broad-spectum antimicrobial agents, such as antibiotics and antimalarial agents, due to the high risk of co-infection or super-infection.
Medical Therapy
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- Preferred regimen: supportive therapy. There is no specific antiviral drug available for Ebola thus far. For information of investigational therapies including Favipiravir, Brincidofovir, ZMapp, TKM-Ebola, AVI-6002, and BCX4430, see here.
- Isolate patient
- Provide intravenous fluids (IV) (patients need large volumes in some cases) and maintain electrolytes at normal levels
- Maintain oxygen saturation and blood pressure
- Administer blood products if coagulopathy or bleeding, antiemetics if vomiting , antipyretics if fever, analgesics, anti-motility if severe diarrhea, total parenteral nutrition if patient has poor oral intake and dialysis if there's renal failure
- Treat other infections if they occur. Provide adequate Gram-negative coverage and gram-positive if the patient has any catheter or hospital-acquired pneumonia.
- If there's respiratory failure, invasive mechanical ventilation may be the best option to offer respiratory support
- Note (1): Recovery from Ebola depends on good supportive care and the patient’s immune response.
- Note (2): While there is no proven treatment available for Ebola virus disease, human convalescent whole blood has been used as an empirical treatment with promising results in a small group of EVD cases.[3][4]
- Note (3): People who recover from Ebola infection develop antibodies that last for at least 10 years, possibly longer. It is not known if people who recover are immune for life or if they can become infected with a different species of Ebola.
- Note (4): Some people who have recovered from Ebola have developed long-term complications, such as joint and vision problems.
Prophylaxis Against Co-infections or Super-infections
Overwhelming sepsis is associated with the majority of deaths due to Ebola virus disease.[5] Thus, it is common practice to administer antibiotics and antimalarial agents for patients with Ebola virus disease due to the high risk of co-infection or super-infection with Malaria and bacterial organisms.[6] In contrast, the administration of antiviral agents, such as acyclovir or ribavirin, has not demonstrated efficacy.[5]
Nutritional Support
- Although preferred, enteral nutrition may not be tolerated due to vomiting or paralytic ileus.
- Parental nutrition should be administered to patients who cannot tolerate oral food intake.
- Enteral nutrition should be resumed as soon as it is tolerated.
References
- ↑ "Ebola virus treatment".
- ↑ Feldmann H, Geisbert TW (2011). "Ebola haemorrhagic fever". Lancet. 377 (9768): 849–62. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60667-8. PMC 3406178. PMID 21084112.
- ↑ interim
- ↑ Mupapa K, Massamba M, Kibadi K, Kuvula K, Bwaka A, Kipasa M; et al. (1999). "Treatment of Ebola hemorrhagic fever with blood transfusions from convalescent patients. International Scientific and Technical Committee". J Infect Dis. 179 Suppl 1: S18–23. doi:10.1086/514298. PMID 9988160.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Parkes-Ratanshi R, Ssekabira U, Crozier I (2014). "Ebola in West Africa: be aware and prepare". Intensive Care Med. 40 (11): 1742–5. doi:10.1007/s00134-014-3497-z. PMID 25253023.
- ↑ Kreuels B, Wichmann D, Emmerich P, Schmidt-Chanasit J, de Heer G, Kluge S; et al. (2014). "A Case of Severe Ebola Virus Infection Complicated by Gram-Negative Septicemia". N Engl J Med. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1411677. PMID 25337633.