More Severe Hypercoagulable State in Acute COVID-19 Pneumonia as Compared With Other Pneumonia.

OBJECTIVE

To conduct a comprehensive evaluation of coagulation profiles-via traditional and whole blood thromboelastometry tests-in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-positive vs COVID-19-negative patients admitted to medical wards for acute pneumonia.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We enrolled all consecutive patients admitted to internal medicine wards of Padova University Hospital between 7 March and 30 April, 2020, for COVID-19-related pneumonia (cases) vs non-COVID-19 pneumonia (controls). A group of healthy individuals acted as baseline for thromboelastometry parameters.

RESULTS

Fifty-six cases (mean age, 64±15 years; male/female, 37/19) and 56 controls (mean age, 76±11 years; male/female, 35/21) were enrolled. Cases and controls exhibited markedly hypercoagulable thromboelastometry profiles vs healthy individuals, mainly characterized by a significantly shorter propagation phase of coagulation (clot formation time) and significantly increased maximum clot firmness (<.001 for all comparisons). Patients with COVID-19 pneumonia had significantly shorter clot formation time and higher maximum clot firmness (<.01 and <.05, respectively, for all comparisons) than did controls.

CONCLUSION

Patients admitted to internal medicine wards for COVID-19 pneumonia presented a markedly prothrombotic state, which seems peculiar to COVID-19 rather than pneumonia itself.