The clinical application of traditional Chinese medicine NRICM101 in hospitalized patients with COVID-19

ABSTRACT

Background

The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of NRICM101 in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Research design and methods

We conducted a retrospective study from 20 April 2021 to 8 July 2021, and evaluated the safety and outcomes (mortality, hospital stay, mechanical ventilation, oxygen support, diarrhea, serum potassium) in COVID-19 patients. Propensity score matching at a 1:2 ratio was performed to reduce confounding factors.

Results

A total of 201 patients were analyzed. The experimental group (n = 67) received NRICM101 and standard care, while the control group (n = 134) received standard care alone. No significant differences were observed in mortality (10.4% vs. 14.2%), intubation (13.8% vs. 11%), time to intubation (10 vs. 11 days), mechanical ventilation days (0 vs. 9 days), or oxygen support duration (6 vs. 5 days). However, the experimental group had a shorter length of hospitalization (odds ratio = 0.12, p = 0.043) and fewer mechanical ventilation days (odds ratio = 0.068, p = 0.008) in initially severe cases, along with an increased diarrhea risk (p = 0.035).

Conclusion

NRICM101 did not reduce in-hospital mortality. However, it shortened the length of hospitalization and reduced mechanical ventilation days in initially severe cases. Further investigation is needed.

KEYWORDS:

• NRICM101
• Chingguan Yihao
• COVID-19
• propensity score matching
• mortality
• length of hospitalization
• mechanical ventilation days

Acknowledgement

The authors wish to thank Mei-Ling for her assistance with data collection and coding.

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Ethics statement

This study was approved by the Institutional Review Boards of MMH (approval number 21MMHIS330e) and the need for written informed consent was waived.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

Author contribution statement

All authors have substantially contributed to the conception and design of the article and interpreting the relevant literature and were involved in writing the article or revised it for intellectual content. Acquisition of data: Wen-Kuei Chang, Chao-Hsien Chen, Kuan-Chih Kuo, Hsin-Pei Chung, Yen-Hsiang Tang, Yen-Ting Chen, Kuo-Lun Wu, Jou-Chun Wu, Chang-Yi Lin; Analysis and interpretation of data: Wen-Kuei Chang, Chieh-Jen Wang, Tung-Hu Tsai, Chao-Hsien Chen; Statistical analysis: Wen-Kuei Chang, Fang-Ju Sun; Drafting of the manuscript: Wen-Kuei Chang, Hai-Bo Zhang.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded.