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Infection with SARS-CoV-2 can cause a respiratory disease which, in serious cases, can result in acute respiratory distress. As a rule, such patients require invasive oxygenation, and this in turn can lead to complications such as pulmonary embolisms or the formation of blood clots in the veins.
In his lecture, LMU cardiologist Steffen Massberg will describe the mechanisms that lead to obstruction of the blood vessels. In COVID-19 patients who are at risk of lung failure, inflammatory reactions take place that activate platelets and trigger the process of clotting, which ultimately leads to the blocking of blood vessels in the lung. Net-like structures consisting of DNA and proteins make a significant contribution to the formation of these occlusions, as they help to stabilize developing clots. Prof. Massberg will also explain how this – initially localized – process of ‘immunothrombosis’ can develop into a systemic increase in the risk of clot formation (coagulopathy) in such cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Finally, he considers the implications of this process for the treatment of COVID-19 and for efforts to prevent the development of intravenous thrombi.
Prof. Dr. med. Steffen Massberg holds the Chair of Internal Medicine and Cardioogy at LMU and is Director of Medical Clinic I, which is part of the Munich University Medical Center. His primary research interest focuses on the role of the immune response in the pathology of inflammatory diseases.
The event will be held in German.
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