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We evaluated rotational thromboelastometry tracings in 44 critically ill coronavirus disease 2019 patients, to determine whether there is a viscoelastic fingerprint and to test the hypothesis that the diagnosis and prediction of venous thromboembolism would be enhanced by the addition of rotational thromboelastometry testing.Rotational thromboelastometry values reflected an increase in clot strength for the EXTEM, INTEM, and FIBTEM assays beyond the reference range. No hyperfibrinolysis was noted. Fibrinolysis shutdown was present but did not correlate with thrombosis; 32% (14/44) of patients experienced a thrombotic episode. For every 1 mm increase of FIBTEM maximum clot formation, the odds of developing thrombosis increased 20% (95% confidence interval, 0-40%, P = .043), whereas for every 1,000 ng/mL increase in D-dimer, the odds of thrombosis increased by 70% (95% confidence interval, 20%-150%, P = .004), after adjustment for age and sex (AUC 0.96, 95% confidence interval, 0.90-1.00). There was a slight but significant improvement in model performance after adding FIBTEM maximum clot formation and EXTEM clot formation time to D-dimer in a multivariable model (P = .04).D-dimer concentrations were more predictive of thrombosis in our patient population than any other parameter. Rotational thromboelastometry confirmed the hypercoagulable state of coronavirus disease 2019 intensive care unit patients. FIBTEM maximum clot formation and EXTEM clot formation time increased the predictability for thrombosis compared with only using D-dimer. Rotational thromboelastometry analysis is most useful in augmenting the information provided by the D-dimer concentration for venous thromboembolism risk assessment when the D-dimer concentration is between 1,625 and 6,900 ng/dL, but the enhancement is modest. Fibrinolysis shutdown did not correlate with thrombosis.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has a number of emerging neurological manifestations in addition to pneumonia and respiratory distress. In what follows, we describe a case of a previously healthy young man with severe COVID-19 who subsequently developed an acute flaccid paralysis. Work up revealed a lesion in his cervical spinal cord concerning for spinal infarction or transverse myelitis. He received empiric pulsed steroids without improvement. Taken together, we felt his presentation was most consistent with spinal cord infarction in the setting of critical illness with COVID-19. We believe this is a rare case of spinal cord stroke associated with COVID-19.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the predictive utility of the D-dimer assay among patients with the coronavirus disease 2019 syndrome for unprovoked lower extremity deep venous thrombosis. DESIGN: Prospective observational study with retrospective data analysis. SETTING: Academic medical center surgical ICU. PATIENTS: Seventy-two intubated patients with critical illness from coronavirus disease 2019. INTERVENTIONS: Therapeutic anticoagulation after imaging diagnosis of the first three deep venous thrombosis cases was confirmed; therapeutic anticoagulation as prophylaxis thereafter to all subsequent ICU admissions. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Seventy-two patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 were screened for deep venous thrombosis after ICU admission with 102 duplex ultrasound examinations, with 12 cases (16.7%) of lower extremity deep venous thrombosis identified. There were no differences between groups with respect to age, renal function, or biomarkers except for D-dimer (median, 12,858 ng/mL [interquartile range, 3,176-30,770 ng/mL] for lower extremity deep venous thrombosis vs 2,087 ng/mL [interquartile range, 638-3,735 ng/mL] for no evidence of deep venous thrombosis; p < 0.0001). Clinical screening tools (Wells score and Dutch Primary Care Rule) had no utility. The C-statistic for D-dimer concentration was 0.874 ± 0.065. At the model-predicted cutoff value of 3,000 ng/mL, sensitivity was 100%, specificity was 51.1%, positive predictive value was 21.8%, and negative predictive value was 100%. CONCLUSIONS: Lower extremity deep venous thrombosis is prevalent in coronavirus disease 2019 disease and can be present on ICU admission. Screening has been recommended in the context of the pro-inflammatory, hypercoagulable background milieu. D-dimer concentrations are elevated in nearly all coronavirus disease 2019 patients, and the test appears reliable for screening for lower extremity deep venous thrombosis at or above a concentration of 3,000 ng/mL (more than 13-fold above the normal range). Full anticoagulation is indicated if the diagnosis is confirmed, and therapeutic anticoagulation should be considered for prophylaxis, as all coronavirus disease 2019 patients are at increased risk.

Introduction Burn patients are at in increased risk for developing deep vein thromboses (DVT), with rates as high as 6%. Known risk factors include large burn size, use of central lines, increasing age, male, active smoker or alcoholic, increased blood transfusions and surgeries. No study to date has looked specifically at burn location as a possible risk factor. We hypothesized that lower extremity burns with delayed presentation to our burn center are at in increased risk for DVT formation. Methods A DVT screening protocol was developed and implemented for all burn patients admitted to our burn unit starting in May 2017. Patients who presented with lower extremity burns >48 hours from their injury time underwent screening ultrasounds at admission to evaluate for DVT in the affected extremity. Data was collected from May 2017 through December 2018 for all lower extremity patients. Screened patients were identified by reviewing the burn registry for patients admitted >2 days from their injury date and then reviewing the electronic medical record for screening US. DVT rates were compared between screened patients and the overall rate for all admissions during the study period. Results There were 1041 patients admitted to the burn unit during the study period, including 445 lower extremity burns with 118 admitted >48 hours after their burn injury. The overall compliance rate with the screening protocol was 41.5% (49/118). There were a total of 4 DVT’s diagnosed among all admitted patients during the study period (1 lower extremity, 3 upper extremity), giving an overall rate of 0.5% for our unit. No DVT’s were identified in the delayed presentation group (p=0.46). Conclusions Our overall DVT rate was much lower than quoted rates in the literature. Patients with lower extremity burns and delayed presentation to a burn center do not appear to be at increased risk for DVT. Compliance with our screening protocol was relatively poor, which may be due to short hospital stays and unavailability of ultrasound on weekends for non-urgent studies. Applicability of Research to Practice Patients with lower extremity burns should receive routine DVT prophylaxis (chemical and mechanical) similar to other burn patients.

Introduction In a large adult and pediatric metropolitan burn center, we are faced with a variety of challenging burn and complex wound cases that require surgical intervention. With the introduction of a new biodegradable temporizing matrix (BTM) in the US in 2017, we have introduced into our surgical routine a new option for wound coverage in these complex cases. This new biodegradable temporizing matrix has allowed us to provide dermal support and temporary wound closure in critical patients undergoing life-saving clinical support while awaiting skin graft closure. We share our experience using BTM in managing complex wounds in a series of patients over the past year. Methods A retrospective chart review of six patients who were admitted to our burn center, underwent BTM placement and subsequent skin grafting from February 2018 – August 2019 was performed. We analyzed mechanism and type of injury, indication for BTM placement, post burn day (PBD) placement of BTM and PBD to skin grafting and objective patient outcome. Results Conclusions: The availability of a biodegradable temporizing, polyurethane-based material in our burn center has positively added to our repertoire as surgeons an additional method for temporary wound closure as a dermal template. What we have learned is that we can improve wound bed preparation for ultimate skin grafting, particularly in critically ill patients with complex wounds and comorbidities. Applicability of Research to Practice Directly applicable to research.