Initiate Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis Early for Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19

Pharmacologic prophylaxis within 24 hours of admission yielded lower mortality.

Although thromboses occur frequently in patients with COVID-19, and guidelines recommend pharmacologic prophylaxis, we don't know whether rapid initiation of pharmacologic prophylaxis anticoagulation in the hospital improves outcomes. U.S. Veterans Affairs investigators assessed data on nearly 4300 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 — 84% of whom received pharmacologic prophylaxis for venous thromboembolism (VTE) within 24 hours of admission.

In adjusted analyses, inpatient mortality was significantly lower among patients who received pharmacologic prophylaxis within 24 hours than among those who didn't (11.7% vs. 16.4%; hazard ratio, 0.69); 30-day mortality also was lower in early-prophylaxis recipients (14.3% vs. 18.7%; HR, 0.73). In post…

Reviewing Author

Daniel D. Dressler, MD, MSc, MHM, FACP

Disclosures

RoyaltiesMcGraw-Hill; Elsevier

Editorial BoardsMedical Clinics of North America; Caribbean Medical Journal International Advisory Panel (2021–2026)

Daniel D. Dressler, MD, MSc, MHM, FACP

Disclosures

RoyaltiesMcGraw-Hill; Elsevier

Editorial BoardsMedical Clinics of North America; Caribbean Medical Journal International Advisory Panel (2021–2026)

Initiate Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis Early for Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19

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Reviewing Author