Background: Coagulopathy is a recognized feature of severe COVID-19. While high d-dimers are associated with the disease severity and poor outcome, its role in venous thromboembolism (VTE) is evolving.

Aims: This study was done to evaluate the d-dimer levels in patients having COVID-19 with and without venous thromboembolic events.

Methods: Patients admitted with COVID-19 during March to December 2020 were identified through ICD10 and data was collected through in-house computerized system. Frequency of myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, deep venous thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE) and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) was determined. D-dimer was assayed on CS2500 (Sysmex, Kobe, Japan) and was compared in patients with and without DVT/PE during their hospital stay using non-parametric methods (SPSS version 19).

Results: The thromboembolic events included stroke (n=41), MI (169), DVT (n=4), PE (n=21) and CVST (n=3) in a total of 2454 patients. Patients having COVID-19 (76 in ICU and 25 with VTE) including 22 females and 79 males with a median (IQR) of 59 years (49.5-65.5) were evaluated for d-dimer levels. There was no statistically significant difference in median (IQR) d-dimers (mg/L) in patients with and without VTE at the time of presentation [1.5 (0.6-3.2) vs. 1.6 (0.7-5.9); p 0.943] and at the last follow-up [2.4(1.0-4.6) vs. 3.3(1.3-7.1); p 0.345]. However, there were significantly higher median (IQR) d-dimers of 8.1(2.7-15.2) in patients having VTE events during hospital stay compared to those who did not have any VTE [3.4 (1.4-10.9), p 0.047]. Moreover, significantly higher median (IQR) d-dimers (mg/L) i.e. 5.0 (2.5-12.0) was observed at the last follow-up in the patients who expired (n=48) compared to those (n=53) who were discharged alive from the hospital [1.7 (0.7-3.7); p 0.022].

Conclusions: Patients with COVID-19 having VTE had higher level of d-dimers during hospital stay compared to ICU-patients admitted with severe disease.

« Back to ISTH 2021 Congress

ISTH Congress Abstracts - https://abstracts.isth.org/abstract/significance-of-d-dimers-in-patients-with-covid-19-having-venous-thromboembolism/