Pulmonary embolism during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: Clinical and radiological features.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: A high incidence of pulmonary embolism has been described during the coronavirus pandemic. METHODS: This work is a single-center retrospective study which reviewed computed tomography pulmonary angiograms ordered due to suspected pulmonary embolism during two periods from March 1, 2020 to May 31, 2020 (pandemic) and during the same interval in 2019 (control). RESULTS: Twenty-two pulmonary embolisms were diagnosed during the control period and 99 in the pandemic, 74 of which were associated with COVID-19. Of all patients hospitalized with COVID-19, 5.3% had a pulmonary embolism, with a delay between the two diagnoses of 9.1 ± 8.4 days. During the pandemic, patients with pulmonary embolism had fewer predisposing conditions (previous pulmonary embolism 5.1 vs. 18.2%, p = .05; previous surgery 2 vs. 35.4%, p = .0001; deep vein thrombosis 11.1 vs. 45.5%, p = .0001); peripheral pulmonary embolisms were the most frequent (73.5 vs. 50%, p = . 029). CONCLUSIONS: There is an increased risk of having a pulmonary embolism during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, which affects patients with a different clinical profile and more often causes distal pulmonary embolisms.