COVID-19 and venous thromboembolism: Known and unknown for imaging decisions

The Role of POCUS to Face COVID-19: A Narrative Review

COVID-19 has been a challenging outbreak to face, with millions of deaths among the globe. Acute respiratory failure due to interstitial pneumonia was the leading cause of death other than prothrombotic activation and complications. Lung ultrasound (LUS) and point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) are widely used not only to triage, to identify, and to monitor lungs involvement but also to assess hemodynamic status and thrombotic and hemorrhagic complications, mainly in critically ill patients. POCUS has gained growing consideration due to its bedside utilization, reliability, and reproducibility even in emergency settings especially in unstable patients. In this narrative review, we aim to describe LUS and POCUS utilization in COVID-19 infection based on the literature found on this topic. We reported the LUS patterns of COVID-19 pulmonary infection, the diagnostic accuracy with respect to CT lung scan, its prognostic value, the variety of scores and protocols proposed, and the utilization of POCUS to investigate the extra-lung complications.

Outcomes in patients discharged with extended venous thromboembolism prophylaxis after hospitalization with COVID-19

BACKGROUND

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a known complication of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in patients requiring hospitalization and intensive care. We examined the association between extended pharmacological VTE prophylaxis and outcomes among patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study of patients with an index positive SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test at the time of, or during hospitalization. Patients who were prescribed extended pharmacological VTE prophylaxis were compared against patients who were not. Multivariable logistic regression was used to produce odds ratio (OR) estimates and Cox proportional hazard models for hazard ratios (HR) with 95% CI to examine the association between pharmacological VTE prophylaxis and outcomes of interest. Primary outcomes were 30- and 90-day VTE events. Secondary outcomes included 30- and 90-day mortality, 30-day superficial venous thrombosis (SVT), acute myocardial infarction (MI), acute ischemic stroke, critical limb ischemia, clinically significant bleeding, and inpatient readmissions.

RESULTS

A total of 1936 patients were included in the study. Among them, 731 (38%) were discharged on extended pharmacological VTE prophylaxis. No significant difference was found in 30- and 90-day VTE events among groups. Patients discharged on extended VTE prophylaxis showed improved survival at 30 (HR: 0.35; 95% CI: 0.21-0.59) and 90 days (HR: 0.36; 95% CI: 0.23-0.55) and reduced inpatient readmission at 30 days (OR: 0.12; 95% CI: 0.04-0.33) when compared to those without.

CONCLUSION

Patients discharged on extended VTE prophylaxis after hospitalization due to COVID-19 had similar thrombotic events on follow-up. However, use of extended VTE prophylaxis was associated with improved 30- and 90-day survival and reduced risk of 30-day inpatient readmission.

Long-term chest CT follow-up in COVID-19 Survivors: 102-361 days after onset

Background

The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term longitudinal changes in chest computed tomography (CT) findings in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) survivors and their correlations with dyspnea after discharge.

Methods

A total of 337 COVID-19 survivors who underwent CT scan during hospitalization and between 102 and 361 days after onset were retrospectively included. Subjective CT findings, lesion volume, therapeutic measures and laboratory parameters were collected. The severity of the survivors' dyspnea was determined by follow-up questionnaire. The evolution of the CT findings from the peak period to discharge and throughout follow-up and the abilities of CT findings and clinical parameters to predict survival with and without dyspnea were analyzed.

Results

Ninety-one COVID-19 survivors still had dyspnea at follow-up. The age, comorbidity score, duration of hospital stays, receipt of hormone administration, receipt of immunoglobulin injections, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, receipt of mechanical ventilation, laboratory parameters, clinical classifications and parameters associated with lesion volume of the survivors with dyspnea were significantly different from those of survivors without dyspnea. Among the clinical parameters and CT parameters used to identify dyspnea, parameters associated with lesion volume showed the largest area under the curve (AUC) values, with lesion volume at discharge showing the largest AUC (0.820). Lesion volume decreased gradually from the peak period to discharge and through follow-up, with a notable decrease observed after discharge. Absorption of lesions continued 6 months after discharge.

Conclusions

Among the clinical parameters and subjective CT findings, CT findings associated with lesion volume were the best predictors of post-discharge dyspnea in COVID-19 survivors.