Prevalence of deep venous thrombosis in ventilated COVID-19 patients: a mono-center cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 patients are related with an elevated risk for deep venous thrombosis (DVT). We evaluated the prevalence of DVT in our intubated and mechanically ventilated COVID-19+ patients at March 29th. Methods: We performed a Mono-center, investigator-initiated, observational, cross-sectional study. A total of 12 intubated COVID-19+ patients at intensive care unit (ICU) ward C3 of the Jessa Hospital, Hasselt, Belgium at March 29th were included. All patients received a prophylactic dose of low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH). All intubated and mechanically ventilated patients were screened for the presence of DVT in femoral, popliteal, jugular and inferior caval veins with duplex ultrasound. Results: In total, 8 from all 12 intubated and ventilated COVID 19+ patients had already developed minimally one DVT. No relevant correlations could be detected. Conclusions: The prevalence of DVT in critically ill ICU patients with COVID-19 is over 60% despite adequate treatment with a prophylactic dose of LMWH. We suggest the use of graduated compression (elastic) stockings (GCS) and intermediate-dose LMWH for thrombosis prophylaxis in all COVID-19 patients. Since there were no clinical signs of DVT, we suggest to routinely screen all COVID-19 patients admitted to ICU for DVT via ultrasound. Future research should focus on the mechanisms underlying these observations.