A recent study published in the Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis has revealed a significant decrease in the incidence of mortality and major bleeding in patients with COVID-19-associated venous thromboembolism (VTE) in the period between 2021–2022 when compared with 2020.
Led by Francisco Galeano-Valle (Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain), the authors note that studies have neglected to explore changes in VTE presentation and the impact of interventions such as vaccines on clinical outcomes of patients experiencing breakthrough infections post-vaccination.
“In light of these gaps, our study aimed to compare the clinical characteristics and 90-day outcomes of patients suffering from COVID-19-assosated VTE during two distinct periods: March to December 2020 (pre-vaccine period) versus March 2021 to December 2022 (post-vaccine period),” the authors wrote.
Galeano-Valle et al used data from the ongoing Computerized Registry of Patients with Venous Thromboembolism (RIETE), analysing all-cause mortality, major bleeding and VTE recurrence within 90 days post-VTE diagnosis in 1,620 patients with COVID-19-associated VTE.
The majority—74.1%—of these patients were identified during the 2020 period, the authors’ analysis revealing a more than two-fold increase in the risk of death within 90 days (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 2.27; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.18–4.38) for these patients when compared with the 2021–2022 period. Further, they state that their inpatient subgroup analysis confirmed the observed mortality differences.
“The frequency of recurrent VTE was low (1.1 vs. 0.7%, respectively), and did not show significant variation between the two periods. Our research provides a comparative perspective on the clinical outcomes of COVID-19-associated VTE before and after the introduction of vaccines,” the authors state.
Galeano-Valle and his team believe that the observed marked improvement in patient outcomes between the two periods underscores the “evolving landscape of therapeutic interventions and clinical practices”, and note that further studies should build upon these findings. To this end, they hope that improved data will refine clinical protocols and improve patient outcomes in the management of COVID-19-associated VTE.
