scholarly journals Screening for venous thromboembolism in patients with COVID-19

Author(s):  
Christophe Vandenbriele ◽  
Diana A. Gorog

AbstractPulmonary thromboembolism and deep venous thrombosis occur frequently in hospitalised patients with COVID-19, the prevalence increases on the intensive care unit (ICU) and is very high in patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). We undertook a literature review to assess the usefulness of screening for peripheral venous thrombosis or pulmonary thrombosis in patients admitted with COVID-19. Outside of the ICU setting, D-dimer elevation on presentation or marked increase from baseline should alert the need for doppler ultrasound scan of the lower limbs. In the ICU setting, consideration should be given to routine screening with doppler ultrasound, given the high prevalence of thrombosis in this cohort despite standard anticoagulant thromboprophylaxis. However, absence of lower limb thrombosis on ultrasound does not exclude pulmonary venous thrombosis. Screening with CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) is not justified in patients on the general wards, unless there are clinical features and/or marked elevations in markers of COVID-19-associated coagulopathy. However, the risk of pulmonary embolism or pulmonary thrombosis in ICU patients is very high, especially in patients on ECMO, where studies that employed routine screening for thrombosis with CT scanning have uncovered up to 100% incidence of pulmonary thrombosis despite standard anticoagulant thromboprophylaxis. Therefore, in patients at low bleeding risk and high clinical suspicion of venous thromboembolism, therapeutic anticoagulation should be considered even before screening, Our review highlights the need for increased vigilance for VTE, with a low threshold for doppler ultrasound and CTPA in high risk in-patient cohorts, where clinical features and D-dimer levels may not accurately reflect the occurrence of pulmonary thromboembolism.

2002 ◽  
Vol 87 (01) ◽  
pp. 7-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Legnani ◽  
Benilde Cosmi ◽  
Giuliana Guazzaloca ◽  
Claudia Pancani ◽  
Sergio Coccheri ◽  
...  

SummaryIn some patients with previous venous thromboembolism (VTE) D-dimer levels (D-Dimer) tend to increase after oral anticoagulant therapy (OAT) is stopped. The aim of our study was to evaluate the predictive value of D-Dimer for the risk of VTE recurrence after OAT withdrawal. After a first episode of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of the lower limbs and/or pulmonary embolism (PE), 396 patients (median age 67 years, 198 males) were followed from the day of OAT discontinuation for 21 months. D-dimer was measured on the day of OAT withdrawal (T1), 3-4 weeks (T2) and 3 months (+/− 10 days, T3) thereafter. The main outcome events of the study were: objectively documented recurrent DVT and/or PE. D-dimer was found to be increased in 15.5%, 40.3% and 46.2% of the patients at T1, T2 and T3, respectively. In 199 (50.2%) patients, D-dimer levels were elevated in at least one measurement. During a follow-up of 628.4 years, 40 recurrences were recorded (10.1% of patients; 6.4% patient-years of follow-up). D-dimer was increased in at least one measurement in 28 of these cases, but remained normal in 11 subjects (three of whom had recurrent events triggered by circumstantial factors, three with malignancyassociated factors) (in one subject D-dimer was not measured). The negative predictive value (NPV) of D-dimer was 95.6% (95% CI 91.6-98.1) at T3 and was even higher (96.7%; 95% CI 92.9-98.8) after exclusion of the six recurrences due to circumstantial factors. Only five idiopathic recurrences occurred in the 186 patients with consistently normal D-dimer. In conclusion, D-dimer has a high NPV for VTE recurrence when performed after OAT discontinuation.


Author(s):  
Soibam Pahel Meitei ◽  
Sudheer Tale ◽  
Arjun Kumar Negi ◽  
Ruchi Dua ◽  
Rohit Walia ◽  
...  

Acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) carries a high risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Pulmonary embolism (PE) and AECOPD increase the mortality and morbidity risk associated with each other. Racial and ethnic differences in VTE risk have been documented in multiple studies. However, there is a dearth of reliable Indian data on the same. This study was planned to find the prevalence of VTE in the setting of severe AECOPD in a tertiary care hospital in India and to identify the clinical, laboratory and radiological characteristics of VTE in severe AECOPD. A total of 156 consecutive patients admitted with severe AECOPD and meeting the specified inclusion and exclusion criteria were recruited. Thorough workup of all patients was done including ABG, serum D dimer, ECG, compression ultrasound of lower limbs and 2-D echocardiography. Patients with high pre-test probability score, or intermediate pre-test probability score at presentation with serum D dimer above the age adjusted cut-off underwent computerised tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA).  Results were analysed using SPSS version 23.  Sixteen (10.3%) patients had VTE, 15 (93.75%) of them being cases of isolated PE. Female gender, higher cumulative past exposure to corticosteroid, higher alveolar-arterial gradient, right ventricular dysfunction, and higher mean pulmonary artery pressure were associated with increased risk for VTE. The prevalence of VTE in AECOPD in this study among an Indian population is higher than among other Asians, but lower than among the Blacks, the Caucasians and the Middle-East ethnicities. Since a vast majority of VTE presents as PE without DVT in the setting of AECOPD, the absence of deep vein thrombosis of lower limbs does not rule PE in the setting.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Z. Goldhaber

Venous thromboembolism, which involves venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients and is being seen with increasing frequency in outpatients. This chapter discusses the risk factors, etiology, classification, pathophysiology, natural history, prognosis, diagnosis (including venous thrombosis, recurrent venous thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism), prophylaxis, and treatment of venous thromboembolism (including the pharmacology of antithrombotic agents), as well as venous thromboembolism in pregnancy and miscellaneous thromboembolic disorders (including thrombosis of unusual sites).  This review contains 8 figures, 16 tables, and 79 references. Keywords: Venous thromboembolism, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, embolectomy, thrombolysis, hypercoagulability, duplex ultrasonography, D-dimer, anticoagulation


Author(s):  
Catarina Faria ◽  
Henedina Antunes ◽  
Teresa Pontes ◽  
Ana Antunes ◽  
Sofia Martins ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundVenous thromboembolism (VTE) – which includes deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) – has been increasingly recognized in the pediatric population. The estimated incidence is 0.07–0.14 cases per 10,000 children. Most cases are associated with two or more risk factors. Medium and long-term complications include recurrence and post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS).ObjectiveTo characterize the adolescent population with the diagnosis of DVT of lower limbs in a tertiary hospital, regarding its clinical presentation, associated risk factors, treatment and outcome.MethodsRetrospective analysis of adolescents with the diagnosis of DVT of lower limbs in our hospital for a period of 7 years.ResultsEight patients were identified; seven were females; median age was 15 years. The main symptoms were local pain and edema. Left lower limb was affected in six patients. PE occurred in two cases. Positive family history of venous thromboembolism was found in five patients. Seven patients had at least two identifiable risk factors. Combined oral contraceptive pill use was the most common (seven patients). Factor V Leiden mutation was found in three patients and protein C deficiency in one. Iliac vein compression syndrome was diagnosed in one patient. The median time for discharge was 8 days. Election treatment was enoxaparin followed by warfarin, for a median period of 10.9 months. Three patients developed PTS.ConclusionsAlthough uncommon, VTE is an emerging reality in adolescents, particularly in females using oral contraceptive pills. Appropriated prevention strategies and treatment are required as most orientations are extrapolated from adults.


Blood ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 118 (21) ◽  
pp. 2301-2301
Author(s):  
kiara Cristina Senger Zapponi ◽  
Luis Fernando Bittar ◽  
Bruna m Mazetto ◽  
Fernanda Dutra Santiago-Bassora ◽  
Fernanda A. Orsi ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 2301 Introduction: Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) is a multifactorial disease that affects 1:1000 individuals worldwide, with a recurrence rate of about 25% in 10 years. Although many risk factors for VTE are well defined, first presentation and recurrence depend, at least in part, on as yet unknown etiologic factors. Studies in animal models show a tight relation between inflammation and hemostasis, as well as the infiltration of neutrophils in the venous wall after the induction of venous thrombosis. Neutrophils also participate in different stages in the formation and resolution of venous thrombosis. Methods: In this study, we investigated the adhesive properties of neutrophils in VTE patients. We hypothesized that increased adhesive properties of these cells, either as an individual baseline characteristic or as an acquired alteration after a previous VTE episode, could be associated with the thrombotic process. The patient population consisted of 22 VTE patients (14F:8M; median age: 46.1 years) that had completed at least 6 months of oral anticoagulation. Twenty-two healthy volunteers matched to VTE patients by age, gender and ethnic background were used as controls. Neutrophil adhesion was measured by a static adhesion assay in triplicate. Peripheral blood was collected with heparin and neutrophils were separated on Histopaque® (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA). Isolated neutrophils (2.2×106 cells/ml) were allowed to adhere to fibronectin (FN)-coated 96-well plates (30 min, 37°C, 5%CO2). Non-adherent cells were then removed by washing and adherent cells calculated as the percentage of cells adhered, compared to a standard curve of known cell concentrations and using a colorimetric enzyme assay. Results are expressed as means ± standard error of mean (SEM) and were compared using the Mann-Whitney test. Results: Overall, adhesion of neutrophils from VTE patients (25.40% ±2.35) was not increased when compared to the control group (21.25%±1.20 p=0.2). However when only patients at a higher risk of recurrence (n=13) - here defined as the presence of elevated D-dimer (higher than 0.5mg/L) and residual vein thrombosis - were analyzed, a statistically significant increase in cell adhesion compared to matched controls was observed (26.70%±2.08 and 21.36%±1.26, respectively, p = 0.04). When these patients (higher recurrence risk; n=13) were compared to the remaining VTE patients (standard recurrence risk, n=9), a non significant increase in neutrophil adhesion was observed (26.70%±2.08 vs 23.51%±5.03 respectively, p=0.1). Conclusions: We demonstrate that neutrophil adhesion is increased in patients with VTE with characteristics associated with increased recurrence risk. In addition, we also observed a non-significant difference in neutrophil adhesion in these patients compared to other VTE patients. Our results suggest that the increased adhesive properties of neutrophils in VTE patients could play a role in the exacerbation of inflammation, and in the pathophysiology of VTE. Further studies are warranted to study whether neutrophil adhesiveness could be used as a biomarker of VTE recurrence. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


2008 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 359-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teruhito Yoshitaka ◽  
Nobuhiro Abe ◽  
Hiroshi Minagawa ◽  
Hirokazu Date ◽  
Yoshimasa Sakoma ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 384-390
Author(s):  
Yasemin Ateş ◽  
Züleyha Bingöl ◽  
Gülfer Okumuş ◽  
Orhan Arseven

Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate the frequency of recurrence and the risk factors for recurrence in patients who were diagnosed with venous thromboembolism. Methods: Between January 2005 and January 2015, a total of 412 venous thromboembolism patients (164 males, 248 females; mean age: 53.5±16.6 years; range: 19 to 95 years) were retrospectively analyzed. The demographics, underlying risk factors, comorbidities, imaging findings, and treatment data of the patients were recorded. Results: At least one transient/permanent risk factor was found in 341 (82.7%) of the index events, and the other 71 (17.2%) were idiopathic. Recurrence developed in 76 (18.4%) of the patients. The duration of the treatment in the first event was significantly longer in recurrent cases (p=0.007). The recurrence rate in patients diagnosed with only deep vein thrombosis or patients diagnosed with pulmonary thromboembolism + deep vein thrombosis was significantly higher than the patients diagnosed with only pulmonary thromboembolism (24% vs. 14.2%, respectively; p=0.007). The rate of idiopathic venous thromboembolism was higher in recurrent cases than in non-recurrent cases (26.3% vs. 15.2%, respectively; p=0.028). At the end of the first year, the mean D-dimer levels were higher in recurrent cases (p=0.034). Hereditary risk factors were also higher in recurrent cases (39.5% vs. 19.3%, respectively; p=0.031). There was no significant correlation between recurrence and mortality. Conclusion: The presence of deep vein thrombosis, idiopathic events, high D-dimer levels at the end of the first year and hereditary risk factors seem to be associated with recurrence.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Alfageme ◽  
Jorge González Plaza ◽  
María Luisa Collado ◽  
Santiago Méndez ◽  
Juan A. Gómez Patiño ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundCOVID-19 infection has been associated with a high rate of thrombotic events, such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and acute pulmonary embolism (APE).MethodsThe purpose of our retrospective study was to evaluate the prevalence of asymptomatic DVT in lower limbs in critically ill COVID-19 patients (n=23) with severe respiratory failure and high levels of D-dimer by bedside Doppler ultrasound (DU).ResultsDVT was diagnosed in 14 cases (60.87%), 5 in proximal venous territory and 9 in infrapopliteal veins. CTPA was performed in 6 patients and all of them showed acute pulmonary embolism (APE) at segmental or subsegmental branches of pulmonary arteries. These patients (APE or DVT confirmed) were treated with therapeutic doses of anticoagulant therapy.ConclusionIn critically COVID 19 ill ICU patients with severe respiratory failure y elevated D-dimer the incidence of asymptomatic DVT is high. We propose that DU allows detection of DVT in asymptomatic patients, adding a factor that may balance the decision to fully anticoagulated these patients.


TH Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 04 (03) ◽  
pp. e178-e188
Author(s):  
Maria Farm ◽  
Aleksandra Antovic ◽  
David E. Schmidt ◽  
Niklas Bark ◽  
Nida Soutari ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction For acute venous thromboembolism (VTE), a biomarker with higher specificity than D-dimer would be of great clinical use. Thrombin generation and overall hemostatic potential (OHP) reflect the hemostatic balance by globally assessing multiple coagulation factors and inhibitors. These tests discriminate between healthy controls and patients with a prothrombotic tendency but have yet to be established as clinical biomarkers of VTE. Objective This study compares endogenous thrombin potential (ETP) and OHP to D-dimer and fibrin monomers (FM) in outpatients with suspected VTE. Methods A cross-sectional diagnostic study where 954 patients with suspected pulmonary embolism or deep venous thrombosis were recruited consecutively from the medical emergency department at Karolinska University Hospital. D-dimer, FM, OHP, and ETP were analyzed in a subpopulation of 60 patients with VTE and 98 matched controls without VTE. VTE was verified either by ultrasonography or computed tomography and clinical data were collected from medical records. Results Compared with healthy controls, both VTE and non-VTE patients displayed prothrombotic profiles in OHP and ETP. D-dimer, FM, ETP area under the curve (AUC), and ETP Tlag were significantly different between patients with VTE and non-VTE. The largest receiver-operating characteristic AUCs for discrimination between VTE and non-VTE, were found in D-dimer with 0.94, FM 0.77, and ETP AUC 0.65. No useful cutoff could be identified for the ETP or the OHP assay. Conclusion Compared with D-dimer, neither ETP nor OHP were clinically viable biomarkers of acute venous thrombosis. The data indicated that a large portion of the emergency patients with suspected VTE were in a prothrombotic state.


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