Venous thromboembolism in patients with COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 infection) - a position paper of the German Society of Angiology (DGA)

Abstract

As observed in other infections with a systemic inflammatory response, severe COVID-19 is associated with hypercoagulability and a prothrombotic state. Currently, there is growing evidence that pulmonary embolism and thrombosis contribute to adverse outcomes and increased mortality in critically ill patients with COVID-19. The optimal thromboprophylactic regimen for patients with COVID-19 is not known. Whereas pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis is generally recommended for all hospitalized COVID-19 patients, adequate dosing of anticoagulants remains a controversial issue. Therefore, we summarize current evidence from the available literature and, on behalf of the German Society of Angiology (DGA), we aim to provide advice to establish an improved and more uniform strategy for thromboprophylaxis in patients with COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; D-dimers; Thromboembolism; deep vein thrombosis; pulmonary embolism.