scholarly journals Pulmonary thromboembolism in COVID-19 Patients on CT Pulmonary Angiography - A Single-Centre Retrospective Cohort Study in the United Arab Emirates

Author(s):  
Ghufran Aref Saeed ◽  
Waqar Haider Gaba ◽  
Abd Al Kareem Mohd Adi ◽  
Reima Obaid Al Marshoodi ◽  
Safaa Saeed Al Mazrouei ◽  
...  

Purpose. Our aim is to identify the prevalence and distribution of pulmonary thromboembolism in COVID-19 infected patients in our hospital. Materials and Methods. Data of all patients with COVID-19 infection either on RT-PCR testing or non-contrast high resolution CT(HRCT) who had CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) from April to June 2020 were included. 133 patients were initially included in the study, 7 were excluded according to exclusion criteria, leaving a total number of 126 patients. Results. Twenty (15.8%) patients had evidence of pulmonary embolism (PE) on CTPA with mean age of 50 years (range 31-85) of which 95% were males. The mean D-dimer was 5.61mcg/mL among the PE-negative and 14.49 mcg/mL in the PE-positive groups respectively. Among the patients with evidence of pulmonary embolism on CTP, almost half required admission to intensive care unit in comparison to only one-fifth with negative CTPA. One-fourth died among the PE positive group with only 5% died among the PE negative group. There was a 33% reduction in the development of PE in the COVID-19 patients who had received low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) prior to their CTPA study versus those who had not. Conclusion. D-dimer correlates well with the incidence of pulmonary embolism among COVID-19 patients. Our data suggest that majority of our patients, developed pulmonary embolisms within 5 days into their hospital stay, accounting to almost two thirds of all positive cases diagnosed by CTPA. Those with PE among COVID-19 patients have high chances of ICU admission and mortality. Use of thromboprophylaxis early on might reduce the incidence of PE.

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 429
Author(s):  
Dhananjaya M. ◽  
Kirankumar Meti ◽  
Rajendrakumar Parakh

Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE), is one of the major cardiovascular causes of death. Pulmonary embolus (PE) can be fatal but is often treatable if recognized early. Unfortunately, the clinical presentation of PE is often variable and misleading mimicking other illnesses and hence known as "the Great Masquerader," making diagnosis difficult. The D-dimer assay has recently come into favour as a method to exclude PE; however, this test has an acceptable safety margin only in low-risk populations.Methods: Present study included 35 patients with clinical suspicion of pulmonary embolism admitted at the tertiary care hospital of North Karnataka during the period from October 2016 to September 2017. Patients were classified according to final diagnosis by CT Pulmonary Angiography into 28 cases positive for PE (80%) and 7 cases negative for PE (20%).Results: Present study included 35 cases suspected to have PE (26 males and 9 females). Their age ranged from 33 to 72 years, with a mean age 48.9 ±14.2 years. 28 cases positive for PE (80%) and 7 cases negative for PE (20%). The mean age of positive and negative PE cases was 48.1±11.2 and 46.4±8.8 respectively. Results of D-dimer test were positive in 10 cases (35.7%) and were negative in 18 cases (61.3 %) of PE.Conclusions: This report highlights the risk of misdiagnosing PE if relying solely on ELISA D-dimer for exclusion. This report documents the presentation of PE despite having unremarkable ELISA D-dimer measurements and highlights the importance of clinical suspicion.


Author(s):  
Aya Yassin ◽  
Maryam Ali Abdelkader ◽  
Rehab M. Mohammed ◽  
Ahmed M. Osman

Abstract Background Pulmonary embolism (PE) is one of the known sequels of COVID-19 infection. We aimed to assess the incidence of PE in patients with COVID-19 infection and to evaluate the relationship between the CT severity of the disease and the laboratory indicators. This was a retrospective study conducted on 96 patients with COVID-19 infection proved by positive PCR who underwent CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) with a calculation of the CT severity of COVID-19 infection. Available patients’ complaint and laboratory data at the time of CTPA were correlated with PE presence and disease severity. Results Forty patients (41.7%) showed positive PE with the median time for the incidence of PE which was 12 days after onset of the disease. No significant correlation was found between the incidence of PE and the patients’ age, sex, laboratory results, and the CT severity of COVID-19. A statistically significant relation was found between the incidence of PE and the patients’ desaturation, hemoptysis, and chest pain. A highly significant correlation was found between the incidence of PE and the rising in the D-dimer level as well as the progressive CT findings when compared to the previous one. Conclusion CT progression and the rising in D-dimer level are considered the most important parameters suggesting underlying PE in patients with positive COVID-19 infection which is commonly seen during the second week of infection and alert the use of CT pulmonary angiography to exclude or confirm PE. This is may help in improving the management of COVID-19 infection.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Kennedy ◽  
Sisira Jayathissa ◽  
Paul Healy

Aims. To study the use of CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) at Hutt Hospital and investigate the use of pretest probability scoring in the assessment of patients with suspected pulmonary embolism (PE).Methods. We studied patients with suspected PE that underwent CTPA between January and May 2012 and collected data on demographics, use of pretest probability scoring, and use of D Dimer and compared our practice with the British Thoracic Society (BTS) guideline.Results. 105 patients underwent CTPA and 15% of patients had PE. 13% of patients had a Wells score prior to their scan. Wells score calculated by researchers revealed 54%, 36%, and 8% patients had low, medium, and high risk pretest probabilities and 8%, 20%, and 50% of these patients had positive scans. D Dimer was performed in 58% of patients and no patients with a negative D Dimer had a PE.Conclusion. The CTPA positive rate was similar to other contemporary studies but lower than previous New Zealand studies and some international guidelines. Risk stratification of suspected PE using Wells score and D Dimer was underutilised. A number of scans could have been safely avoided by using accepted guidelines reducing resources use and improving patient safety.


Radiology ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 247 (3) ◽  
pp. 854-861 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valencia King ◽  
Anjali A. Vaze ◽  
Chaya S. Moskowitz ◽  
Larry J. Smith ◽  
Michelle S. Ginsberg

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 423-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul D. Stein ◽  
Fadi Matta ◽  
Kate E. Hughes ◽  
Mary J. Hughes

The purpose was to determine whether young women in the emergency department who received computed tomographic (CT) pulmonary angiograms were evaluated to receive lower dose imaging or no imaging, recognizing that the risks of radiation are particularly high in young women. This was a retrospective cohort investigation of women aged 18 to 29 years seen for suspected acute pulmonary embolism in emergency departments of 5 regional hospitals from May 1, 2015 to April 30, 2016. Computed tomographic (CT) pulmonary angiograms were obtained in 379 young women. Pulmonary embolism was diagnosed by CT angiography in 2.1%. A Wells probability score could be calculated in 11.9%. D-dimer was obtained in 46.2% and a chest radiograph was obtained in 41.7%. Among patients with a normal chest radiograph, 3.9% had a lung scan. Venous ultrasound of the lower extremities was obtained in 1.8%. Each had an elevated D-dimer. Among the young women who received CT angiograms, 53 were pregnant. In 17.0% of pregnant women, a Wells clinical probability score could be calculated from the medical record. D-dimer in pregnant women was obtained in 30.2%, chest radiograph in 22.6%, lung scan in 11.3%, and venous ultrasound of the lower extremities in none. In conclusion, young women and pregnant women often received CT pulmonary angiograms for suspected acute pulmonary embolism without an objective clinical assessment, measurement of D-dimer, lung scintiscan, or venous ultrasound, which may have eliminated the need for CT pulmonary angiography in many instances.


Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 758
Author(s):  
Benjamin Thoreau ◽  
Joris Galland ◽  
Maxime Delrue ◽  
Marie Neuwirth ◽  
Alain Stepanian ◽  
...  

The incidence of pulmonary embolism (PE) is high during severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). We aimed to identify predictive and prognostic factors of PE in non-ICU hospitalized COVID-19 patients. In the retrospective multicenter observational CLOTVID cohort, we enrolled patients with confirmed RT-PCR COVID-19 who were hospitalized in a medicine ward and also underwent a CT pulmonary angiography for a PE suspicion. Baseline data, laboratory biomarkers, treatments, and outcomes were collected. Predictive and prognostics factors of PE were identified by using logistic multivariate and by Cox regression models, respectively. A total of 174 patients were enrolled, among whom 86 (median [IQR] age of 66 years [55–77]) had post-admission PE suspicion, with 30/86 (34.9%) PE being confirmed. PE occurrence was independently associated with the lack of long-term anticoagulation or thromboprophylaxis (OR [95%CI], 72.3 [3.6–4384.8]) D-dimers ≥ 2000 ng/mL (26.3 [4.1–537.8]) and neutrophils ≥ 7.0 G/L (5.8 [1.4–29.5]). The presence of these two biomarkers was associated with a higher risk of PE (p = 0.0002) and death or ICU transfer (HR [95%CI], 12.9 [2.5–67.8], p < 0.01). In hospitalized non-ICU severe COVID-19 patients with clinical PE suspicion, the lack of anticoagulation, D-dimers ≥ 2000 ng/mL, neutrophils ≥ 7.0 G/L, and these two biomarkers combined might be useful predictive markers of PE and prognosis, respectively.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adil Shujaat ◽  
Janet M. Shapiro ◽  
Edward Eden

Objectives. We conducted a study to answer 3 questions: (1) is CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) overutilized in suspected pulmonary embolism (PE)? (2) What alternative diagnoses are provided by CTPA? (3) Can CTPA be used to evaluate right ventricular dilatation (RVD)?Methods. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical information of 231 consecutive emergency department patients who underwent CTPA for suspected PE over a one-year period.Results. The mean age of our patients was 53 years, and 58.4% were women. The prevalence of PE was 20.7%. Among the 136 patients with low clinical probability of PE, a d-dimer test was done in 54.4%, and it was normal in 24.3%; none of these patients had PE. The most common alternative findings on CTPA were emphysema (7.6%), pneumonia (7%), atelectasis (5.5%), bronchiectasis (3.8%), and congestive heart failure (3.3%). The sensitivity and negative predictive value of CTPA for (RVD) was 92% and 80%, respectively.Conclusions. PE could have been excluded without CTPA in ~1 out of 4 patients with low clinical probability of PE, if a formal assessment of probability and d-dimer test had been done. In patients without PE, CTPA did not provide an alternative diagnosis in 65%. In patients with PE, CTPA showed the potential to evaluate RVD.


Author(s):  
Sultan Aldosari ◽  
Zhonghua Sun

Background: The aim of this study is to perform a systematic review of the feasibility and clinical application of double low-dose CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) in the diagnosis of patients with suspected pulmonary embolism. Discussion: A total of 13 studies were found to meet selection criteria reporting both low radiation dose (70 or 80 kVp versus 100 or 120 kVp) and low contrast medium dose CTPA protocols. Lowdose CTPA resulted in radiation dose reduction from 29.6% to 87.5% in 12 studies (range: 0.4 to 23.5 mSv), while in one study, radiation dose was increased in the dual-energy CT group when compared to the standard 120 kVp group. CTPA with use of low contrast medium volume (range: 20 to 75 ml) was compared to standard CTPA (range: 50 to 101 ml) in 12 studies with reduction between 25 and 67%, while in the remaining study, low iodine concentration was used with 23% dose reduction achieved. Quantitative assessment of image quality (in terms of signal-to-noise ratio and contrast-to-noise ratio) showed that low-dose CTPA was associated with higher, lower and no change in image quality in 3, 3 and 6 studies, respectively when compared to the standard CTPA protocol. The subjective assessment indicated similar image quality in 11 studies between low-dose and standard CTPA groups, and improved image quality in 1 study with low-dose CTPA. Conclusion: This review shows that double low-dose CTPA is feasible in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism with significant reductions in both radiation and contrast medium doses, without compromising diagnostic image quality.


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