Coagulation profile of covid patients : A single tertiary teaching hospital in Rajasthan

Background: The COVID-19 has taken the world by storm. It primarily affects the lungs causing respiratory distress and leading to ARDS. Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the coagulation dysfunction in patients which predisposes the patients to venous and arterial thromboembolism due to excessive inflammation, hypoxia, immobilisation and diffuse intravascular coagulation (DIC). Material & Methods: We assessed 2281 COVID RT PCR positive patients who were admitted with moderate to severe disease in wards and ICU respectively. The coagulation profile was done for each of these patients and the tests included Prothrombin time (PT), Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (APTT) and D-Dimer. The PT and APTT were estimated on ACL elite pro (Fully automated coagulation analyser) which is based on nephelometry. D- Dimer was measured using ACL elite pro and latex agglutination (semi quantitative method). Results: Out of 2281 COVID RT PCR positive patients 1655 (72.5%) were males and 626 (27.5%) were females. It was observed that percentage of patients admitted in ICU had increased D dimer values and it was statistically significant. Our study showed that larger number of patients admitted in ICU had PT value more than 12.5 seconds and APTT more than 35.5 seconds, however it was not statistically significant. Our study also demonstrated that patients having higher D dimer required longer hospitalization with significant p value. Conclusion: We concluded that assessment of coagulation profile is necessary for patients infected with this virus so as to prevent any thrombotic complications and therefore preventing morbidity and mortality.