Therapeutic-Dose vs. Prophylactic-Dose Anticoagulation Therapy for Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19 in a Practice-Based Observational Study

Circ J. 2022 Jun 24;86(7):1137-1142. doi: 10.1253/circj.CJ-22-0209. Epub 2022 Jun 3.

Abstract

Background: The potential benefit of therapeutic-dose anticoagulation for critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still controversial.

Methods and results: In the CLOT-COVID study, 225 patients with severe COVID-19 on admission requiring mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation were divided into patients with therapeutic-dose anticoagulation (N=110) and those with prophylactic-dose anticoagulation (N=115). There was no significant difference in the incidence of thrombosis between the groups (9.1% vs. 7.8%, P=0.73).

Conclusions: Among a cohort of critically ill patients with COVID-19, approximately half received therapeutic-dose anticoagulation, although it did not show a potential benefit compared with prophylactic-dose anticoagulation.

Keywords: Anticoagulation; COVID-19; Critical illness; Severe illness; Thrombosis.

Publication types

  • Observational Study

MeSH terms

  • Anticoagulants / therapeutic use
  • Blood Coagulation
  • COVID-19*
  • Critical Illness / therapy
  • Humans
  • Thrombosis* / drug therapy
  • Thrombosis* / etiology
  • Thrombosis* / prevention & control

Substances

  • Anticoagulants