A systematic review of thromboembolic complications and outcomes in hospitalised COVID-19 patients

• Published in: BMC INFECTIOUS DISEASES
• Main Authors: Othman, Hanies Yuhana; Zaki, Izzati Abdul Halim; Isa, Mohamad Rodi; Ming, Long Chiau; Zulkifly, Hanis Hanum
• Format: Review
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2024
• Subjects: Infectious Diseases
• Online Access: https://www-webofscience-com.uitm.idm.oclc.org/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:001218483400002
• ISSN: 1471-2334
• DOI: 10.1186/s12879-024-09374-1

Thromboembolic (TE) complications [myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and pulmonary embolism (PE)] are common causes of mortality in hospitalised COVID-19 patients. Therefore, this review was undertaken to explore the incidence of TE complications and mortality associated with TE complications in hospitalised COVID-19 patients from different studies. A literature search was performed using ScienceDirect and PubMed databases using the MeSH term search strategy of COVID-19, thromboembolic complication, venous thromboembolism, arterial thromboembolism, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, myocardial infarction, stroke, and mortality. There were 33 studies included in this review. Studies have revealed that COVID-19 patients tend to develop venous thromboembolism (PE:1.0-40.0% and DVT:0.4-84%) compared to arterial thromboembolism (stroke:0.5-15.2% and MI:0.8-8.7%). Lastly, the all-cause mortality of COVID-19 patients ranged from 4.8 to 63%, whereas the incidence of mortality associated with TE complications was between 5% and 48%. A wide range of incidences of TE complications and mortality associated with TE complications can be seen among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Therefore, every patient should be assessed for the risk of thromboembolic complications and provided with an appropriate thromboprophylaxis management plan tailored to their individual needs.