Open AccessIs venous thromboembolism a predictable marker in older patients with COVID-19 infection? A single-center observational study
Author(s) -
Alfredo De Giorgi,
Carlo Contini,
Salvatore Greco,
Fabio Fabbian,
Vincenzo Gasbarro,
Giovanni Zuliani,
Angelina Passaro,
Gladiol Zenunaj,
Roberto Manfredini
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of infection in developing countries
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.322
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 2036-6590
pISSN - 1972-2680
DOI - 10.3855/jidc.14523
Subject(s) - mews , medicine , comorbidity , venous thrombosis , early warning score , deep vein , thrombosis , d dimer , venous thromboembolism , observational study , covid-19 , complication , emergency medicine , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty)
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) represents an important clinical complication of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection, and high plasma D-dimer levels could suggest a higher risk of hypercoagulability. We aimed to analyse if laboratory exams, risk assessment scores, comorbidity scores were useful in predicting the VTE in SARS-CoV-2 patients admitted in internal medicine (IM). We evaluated 49 older adults with suspected VTE analysing history and blood chemistry, besides we calculated the Padua Prediction Score, the modified early warning scoring (MEWS) and the modified Elixhauser index (mEI). All patients underwent venous color-doppler ultrasounds of the lower limbs. Out of the 49 patients enrolled (mean age 79.3±14 years), 10 (20.4%) had deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and they were more frequently female (80% vs 20%, p = 0.04). We could not find any association with the Padua Prediction Score, the MEWS, and the mEI. D-dimer plasma levels were also not associated with DVT. In elderly people hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 infection hospitalized in IM, our data, although limited by the sample size, suggest that prediction and diagnosis of VTE is difficult, due to lack of precise biomarkers and scores.