The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to spread across the world and claim lives. Deaths that occurred by COVID-19 have been attributed to arterial thromboses and thromboembolism. Heparin-based anticoagulants, if administered early, may decrease the risk of death. This study aims to evaluate whether early initiation of prophylactic anticoagulation is associated with patients with COVID-19 admitted to the hospital.
This observational cohort study included a total of 4,297 patients admitted to the hospital with laboratory-confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection without a history of anticoagulation. The primary outcome of the study was 30-day mortality, along with inpatient mortality and bleeding.
Of 4,297 patients included admitted for COVID-19, 3,627 received prophylactic anticoagulation within 24 hours of admission. 3,600 of the total patients received subcutaneous heparin or enoxaparin. A total of 622 deaths were reported within 30 days of hospital admission, of which 513 had received prophylactic anticoagulation. 82% of total deaths occurred during the hospital stay. The cumulative incidence of mortality at 30 days, as measured by the inverse probability of treatment weighted analyses, was 14.3%.
The research concluded that early initiation of anticoagulation was associated with a reduced risk of 30-day mortality compared with those who had no anticoagulation.
Ref: https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n311
