Investigation of Thromboembolic Events in COVID-19 Infected Patients.

Aim: The objective of this study was to determine the patient characteristics and clinical outcomes of COVID-19 patients who experienced a thromboembolic event (TEE) and the frequency of this complication. Materials and Methods: Between January 2020 and December 2021, all the patients with positive COVID-19 PCR test results were enrolled in this study. The data of the cases that developed TEE with the diagnosis of COVID-19 were evaluated retrospectively. Results: During the study period, a total of 2,845 patients were hospitalized with a diagnosis of COVID-19. Among this group, 96 patients (3.37%) had TEE associated with COVID-19. The mean age was 63.76 ±13.85 years (range: 28-80 years), with 46 males (4.92%) and 50 females (52.08%). Of these patients, 46 (47.92%) had severe COVID-19 and 50 (52.08%) had only mild respiratory symptoms. Patients in the severe COVID-19 group were older, but there was no statistical significance between the groups. The peripheral venous disease was more common in the mild COVID-19 group while the peripheral arterial disease was more common in the severe COVID-19 group. CRP, uric acid, troponin, creatinine, D-dimer, and leukocyte levels were higher in severe COVID-19 patients with TEE (p<0.05). 81 of 96 patients (84.37%) had the peripheral venous disease, 5 of 96 patients (5.2%) had peripheral arterial disease and 11 of 96 patients (11.45%) had a pulmonary embolism. One patient (1.04%) had both peripheral venous disease and pulmonary embolism. The overall mortality rate was 6.25% (6/96). Conclusions: The thrombotic process associated with COVID-19 affects venous structures more frequently than arteries. Given the significant risk observed for TEE in COVID-19, diagnostic imaging for TEE should be considered with a high degree of clinical suspicion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]