Early experience with arterial thromboembolic complications in patients with COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the arterial complications and hypercoagulability associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. We sought to characterize our experience with arterial thromboembolic complications in patients with hospitalized for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: All patients admitted from March 1 to April 20, 2020, and who underwent carotid, upper, lower and aortoiliac arterial duplex, computed tomography angiogram or magnetic resonance angiography for suspected arterial thrombosis were included. A retrospective case control study design was used to identify, characterize and evaluate potential risk factors for arterial thromboembolic disease in SARS-CoV-2 positive patients. Demographics, characteristics, and laboratory values were abstracted and analyzed. RESULTS: During the study period, 424 patients underwent 499 arterial duplex, computed tomography angiogram, or magnetic resonance angiography imaging studies with an overall 9.4% positive rate for arterial thromboembolism. Of the 40 patients with arterial thromboembolism, 25 (62.5%) were SARS-CoV-2 negative or admitted for unrelated reasons and 15 (37.5%) were SARS-CoV-2 positive. The odds ratio for arterial thrombosis in COVID-19 was 3.37 (95% confidence interval, 1.68-6.78; P = .001). Although not statistically significant, in patients with arterial thromboembolism, patients who were SARS-CoV-2 positive compared with those testing negative or not tested tended to be male (66.7% vs 40.0%; P = .191), have a less frequent history of former or active smoking (42.9% vs 68.0%; P = .233) and have a higher white blood cell count (14.5 vs 9.9; P = .208). Although the SARS-CoV-2 positive patients trended toward a higher the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (8.9 vs 4.1; P = .134), creatinine phosphokinase level (359.0 vs 144.5; P = .667), C-reactive protein level (24.2 vs 13.8; P = .627), lactate dehydrogenase level (576.5 vs 338.0; P = .313), and ferritin level (974.0 vs 412.0; P = .47), these differences did not reach statistical significance. Patients with arterial thromboembolic complications and SARS-CoV-2 positive when compared with SARS-CoV-2 negative or admitted for unrelated reasons were younger (64 vs 70 years; P = .027), had a significantly higher body mass index (32.6 vs 25.5; P = .012), a higher d-dimer at the time of imaging (17.3 vs 1.8; P = .038), a higher average in hospital d-dimer (8.5 vs 2.0; P = .038), a greater distribution of patients with clot in the aortoiliac location (5 vs 1; P = .040), less prior use of any antiplatelet medication (21.4% vs 62.5%; P = .035), and a higher mortality rate (40.0% vs 8.0%; P = .041). Treatment of arterial thromboembolic disease in COVID-19 positive patients included open thromboembolectomy in six patients (40%), anticoagulation alone in four (26.7%), and five (33.3%) did not require or their overall illness severity precluded additional treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with SARS-CoV-2 are at risk for acute arterial thromboembolic complications despite a lack of conventional risk factors. A hyperinflammatory state may be responsible for this phenomenon with a preponderance for aortoiliac involvement. These findings provide an early characterization of arterial thromboembolic disease in SARS-CoV-2 patients.

Clinical characteristics of acute lower extremity deep venous thrombosis diagnosed by duplex in patients hospitalized for coronavirus disease 2019.

OBJECTIVE: 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. METHODS: All adult patients admitted to Montefiore Medical Center from March 1, 2020, to April 10, 2020, and undergoing lower extremity venous duplex for DVT evaluation were included. Patients admitted with suspicion of COVID-19 were divided into severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) positive and SARS-CoV-2 negative groups based on in-hospital test results. Patients without clinical suspicion for COVID-19 were not tested. A retrospective case-control study design was used to identify potential risk factors for DVT in patients with COVID-19. Demographic, radiographic, and laboratory values were abstracted and analyzed. RESULTS: 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.