PH CARE COVID survey: an international patient survey on the care for pulmonary hypertension patients during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the health care systems suspended their non-urgent activities. This included the cancellation of consultations for patients with rare diseases, such as severe pulmonary hypertension (PH), resulting in potential medication shortage and loss of follow-up. Thus, the aim of the study was to evaluate PH patient health status evolution, access to health care and mental health experience during the early phase of the pandemic. METHODS: We conducted an online patient survey, available in 16 languages, between 22/05/2020 and 28/06/2020. The survey included questions corresponding to demographic, COVID-19 and PH related information. RESULTS: 1073 patients (or relatives, 27%) from 52 countries all over the world participated in the survey. Seventy-seven percent (77%) of responders reported a diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension and 15% of chronic thromboembolic PH. The COVID-19 related events were few: only 1% of all responders reported a diagnosis of COVID-19. However, 8% of patients reported health deterioration possibly related to PH, and 4% hospitalization for PH. Besides, 11% of the patients reported difficulties to access their PH expert centre, and 3% interruption of treatment due to shortage of medication. Anxiety or depression was reported by 67% of the participants. CONCLUSION: Although COVID-19 incidence in PH patients was low, PH related problems occurred frequently as the pandemic progressed, including difficulties to have access to specialized care. The importance of primary health care was emphasized. Further studies are needed to evaluate the long-term consequences of COVID-related PH care disruption.

Incidence of symptomatic venous thromboembolism following hospitalization for coronavirus disease 2019: Prospective results from a multi-center study.

BACKGROUND: Thrombosis and pulmonary embolism appear to be major causes of mortality in hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. However, few studies have focused on the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after hospitalization for COVID-19. METHODS: In this multi-center study, we followed 1529 COVID-19 patients for at least 45 days after hospital discharge, who underwent routine telephone follow-up. In case of signs or symptoms of pulmonary embolism (PE) or deep vein thrombosis (DVT), they were invited for an in-hospital visit with a pulmonologist. The primary outcome was symptomatic VTE within 45 days of hospital discharge. RESULTS: Of 1529 COVID-19 patients discharged from hospital, a total of 228 (14.9%) reported potential signs or symptoms of PE or DVT and were seen for an in-hospital visit. Of these, 13 and 12 received Doppler ultrasounds or pulmonary CT angiography, respectively, of whom only one patient was diagnosed with symptomatic PE. Of 51 (3.3%) patients who died after discharge, two deaths were attributed to VTE corresponding to a 45-day cumulative rate of symptomatic VTE of 0.2% (95%CI 0.1%-0.6%; n = 3). There was no evidence of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in these patients. Other deaths after hospital discharge included myocardial infarction (n = 13), heart failure (n = 9), and stroke (n = 9). CONCLUSIONS: We did not observe a high rate of symptomatic VTE in COVID-19 patients after hospital discharge. Routine extended thromboprophylaxis after hospitalization for COVID-19 may not have a net clinical benefit. Randomized trials may be warranted.