Journal of vascular surgery. Venous and lymphatic disorders
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J Vasc Surg Venous Lymphat Disord · Jan 2021
Clinical characteristics of acute lower extremity deep venous thrombosis diagnosed by duplex in patients hospitalized for coronavirus disease 2019.
Little is known about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated hypercoagulability. We sought to characterize patients with deep venous thrombosis (DVT) identified after admission for COVID-19. ⋯ During the study period, 3404 patients with confirmed COVID-19 were admitted to the hospital. Of the 135 SARS-CoV-2 patients who underwent duplex scanning, there were 18 (13.3%) noted to have DVT compared with 72 of the 711 patients (10.1%) who were either SARS-CoV-2 negative or untested. The odds ratio for DVT in COVID-19 was 1.35 (95% confidence interval, 0.78-2.34; P = .289). Baseline characteristics for COVID-19 patients with and without DVT were overall similar. COVID-19 patients with DVT had an elevated median first d-dimer (18.88 μg/mL [interquartile range (IQR), 7.79-20.00] vs 2.55 μg/mL [IQR, 1.45-6.28]; P = .002; reference value, <0.5 μg/mL), average in-hospital d-dimer (median, 11.93 μg/mL [IQR, 8.25-16.97] vs 3.54 μg/mL [IQR, 2.05-8.53]; P < .001) and median fibrinogen level (501.0 [IQR, 440.0-629.0] vs 654.5 [IQR, 535.8-780.0]; P = .002; reference range, 187-502 mg/dL). There was a trend to significance for COVID-19 patients with DVT compared with without DVT in median d-dimer levels at the time of the duplex (13.61 μg/mL [IQR, 4.04-19.97] vs 3.58 μg/mL [IQR, 2.51-9.62]; P = .055) and median ferritin levels (1679.0 ng/mL [IQR, 1168.0-2577.0] vs 1103.0 ng/mL [IQR, 703.5-2076.5]; P = .055; reference range, 25-270 ng/mL). Twelve of the 18 patients with COVID who developed DVT did so despite chemical thromboprophylaxis, and 2 developed DVT despite therapeutic anticoagulation CONCLUSIONS: We found only a modestly increased risk of DVT in patients with COVID-19, likely underestimated owing to limitations in duplex testing early in the epidemic. Elevated d-dimer and a less elevated fibrinogen are associated with DVT in patients with COVID-19 who seem to form thrombus despite conventional chemical thromboprophylaxis. Additionally, an increasing d-dimer over time may be a reflection of the development of DVT in patients with COVID-19.
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J Vasc Surg Venous Lymphat Disord · Jan 2021
ReviewVenous thrombosis epidemiology, pathophysiology, and anticoagulant therapies and trials in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection.
Infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus confers a risk of significant coagulopathy, with the resulting development of venous thromboembolism (VTE), potentially contributing to the morbidity and mortality. The purpose of the present review was to evaluate the potential mechanisms that contribute to this increased risk of coagulopathy and the role of anticoagulants in treatment. ⋯ The overwhelming inflammatory response in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection can lead to a hypercoagulable state, microthrombosis, large vessel thrombosis, and, ultimately, death. Early VTE prophylaxis should be provided to all admitted patients. Therapeutic anticoagulation therapy might be beneficial for critically ill patients and is the focus of 39 ongoing trials. Close monitoring for thrombotic complications is imperative, and, if confirmed, early transition from prophylactic to therapeutic anticoagulation should be instituted. The interplay between inflammation and thrombosis has been shown to be a hallmark of the SARS-CoV-2 viral infection.
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J Vasc Surg Venous Lymphat Disord · Jan 2021
Utility of d-dimer for diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis in coronavirus disease-19 infection.
The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical usefulness of d-dimer in excluding a diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection, potentially limiting the need for venous duplex ultrasound examination. ⋯ d-dimer levels are uniformly elevated in patients with COVID-19. Although standard predictive criteria failed to predict DVT, our analysis showed a d-dimer of less than 6494 ng/mL may exclude DVT, potentially limiting the need for venous duplex ultrasound examination.