Abstract Number: LB/CO01.4
Meeting: ISTH 2020 Congress
Theme: Venous Thromboembolism and Cardioembolism » VTE Epidemiology
Background: COVID-19 may lead to thrombotic complications, aggravated by a stay at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The incidence of thrombotic complications in COVID-19 patients on general wards is understudied. It is unknown how the incidence of thrombotic complications in hospitalized COVID-19 patients compares to hospitalized influenza patients.
Aims: To analyze the cumulative incidence of venous and arterial thrombotic complications in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 on general wards and for all hospitalized patients (both ward and ICU), and to compare the venous thrombotic complications (VTE) with hospitalized influenza patients.
Methods: We studied all admitted COVID-19 patients in three Dutch hospitals: Leiden University Medical Center, Amphia Hospital Breda and Alrijne Hospital Leiderdorp (February 24st – April 25th). All patients received pharmacological thromboprophylaxis. Patient charts were scrutinized for thrombotic complications. Hospitalization data from Statistics Netherlands (period 2013 until 2018) were used to obtain information on venous thrombotic complications in influenza.
Results: 579 COVID-19 patients were admitted, of whom 94 (16.2%) to the ICU only. 67 patients were diagnosed with 71 thrombotic complications during admission (17 during stay at a general ward, 50 at the ICU), mostly with pulmonary embolism (54/71, 76.1%). The 30-day cumulative incidence, adjusted for competing risk of death, of all thrombotic complications was 5.3% (95%CI 2.4-8.2) during stay at the general ward and 20.5% (95%CI 15.6-25.4) in ward and ICU patients combined (Table 1). The 30-day cumulative incidence of VTE during stay at the ward was 3.8% (95%CI 1.3-6.3), and 18.7% (95%CI 14.0-23.4) in ward and ICU patients combined, versus 1.04% (95%CI 0.92-1.16) in hospitalized influenza patients (both ward and ICU).
Conclusions: The incidence of thrombotic complications in hospitalized COVID-19 patients was substantial, and considerably higher than that in hospitalized influenza patients, suggesting a possible SARS-COV-2 specific effect. Further studies are needed to substantiate our findings and to explore explanations for this large difference.
[Table 1: Cumulative incidences of thrombotic complications in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and hospitalized influenza patients]
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Stals MAM, Grootenboers MJJH, van Guldener C, Kaptein FHJ, Braken SJE, Chen Q, Chu G, van Driel EM, Iglesias del Sol A, Pals F, Toorop MMA, Cannegieter SC, Klok FA, Huisman MV. Higher Incidence of Thrombotic Complications in Hospitalized Patients with SARS-COV-2 Virus versus Influenza Virus Infections [abstract]. Res Pract Thromb Haemost. 2020; 4 (Suppl 1). https://abstracts.isth.org/abstract/higher-incidence-of-thrombotic-complications-in-hospitalized-patients-with-sars-cov-2-virus-versus-influenza-virus-infections/. Accessed May 18, 2024.« Back to ISTH 2020 Congress
ISTH Congress Abstracts - https://abstracts.isth.org/abstract/higher-incidence-of-thrombotic-complications-in-hospitalized-patients-with-sars-cov-2-virus-versus-influenza-virus-infections/