Wells and Geneva decision rules to predict pulmonary embolism: can we use them in Covid-19 patients?

Combined Use of Wells Scores and D-dimer Levels for the Diagnosis of Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism in COVID-19: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Introduction

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) are key complications of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The study's primary outcome was assessing the utility of Wells DVT, Wells PE scores, and D-dimers in diagnosing DVT and PE. Secondary outcomes were the risk factors for the development of PE and DVT in COVID-19 patients.

Materials and methods

We compared COVID-19 patients with a positive and negative lower extremity (LE) duplex. A similar approach was made for patients who underwent imaging for PE.

Results

The prevalence of PE was 23.8% (26 out of 109 patients), and the prevalence of DVT was 33% (35 out of 106). A D-dimer of 500 ng/mL had a sensitivity of 95.6% and 93.7% for the diagnosis of PE and DVT, respectively. A Wells DVT score of 3 points had a specificity of 92.9% and sensitivity of 8.8% for DVT diagnosis in COVID-19. A Wells PE score of 4 had a specificity of 100% and a sensitivity of 20% for the diagnosis of PE. The combined approach of using a Wells DVT score of 3 in suspected DVT and a Wells PE score of 4 in suspected PE and D-dimers of 500 ng/ml has a sensitivity of 94.2% and 96.1%, respectively.

In the suspected DVT group, male gender (OR 3.88, 95% CI 1.55-9.7, P=0.004), lower body mass index (BMI) (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.86-0.99, P=0.037), antiplatelet use (OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.04-0.88, P=0.035), systolic blood pressure ≤100 mmhg (OR 4.96, 95% CI 1.37-17.86, P=0.014), absolute lymphocytes ≤1 (OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.07-6.12, P=0.033), D-dimer ≥500 ng/ml (OR 6.42, 95% CI 1.40-29.38, P=0.016), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) ≥20 mg/dl (OR 2.33, 95% CI 1.00-5.41, P=0.048), and intubation (OR 3.32, 95% CI 1.26-8.78, P=0.015) were found to be statistically significant for DVT.

In the suspected PE group, history of cancer (OR 10.69, 95% CI 1.06-107.74, P=0.044), total WBC count (OR 1.07, 95% CI 0.95-1.21, P=0.032), platelets ≥ 400,000 (OR 5.13, 95% CI 1.79-14.68, P=0.002), D-dimer levels ≥ 500 ng/ml (OR 25.47, 95% CI 3.27-197.97, P=0.002), Wells PE score (OR 2.46, 95% CI 1.50-4.06, P<0.001), pulmonary embolism rule-out criteria (PERC) score (OR 1.79, 95% CI 1.05-3.05, P=0.054), and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score (OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.16-3.12, P=0.002) were statistically significant.

Conclusions

The combined approach of using a Wells DVT score of 3 in suspected DVT and Wells PE score of 4 in suspected PE and D-dimers of 500 ng/ml may be used to diagnose PE and DVT in COVID-19. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) occurrence in COVID-19 is associated with non-traditional risk factors such as intubation and higher severity of systemic inflammation, and these patients may benefit from more aggressive testing for VTE.

Cardiovascular implications of the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly emerged as one of the biggest public health concerns of the 21st century. Although it was initially reported as a cluster of pneumonia cases, it quickly became apparent that COVID-19 is not merely a respiratory tract infection. Its clinical course is often complicated by cardiovascular manifestations including venous and arterial thrombosis, electrical disturbances, and myocardial damage. In addition, the cardiovascular system is involved not only during infection but also preceding the contraction of the virus; having cardiovascular comorbidities indicates significant vulnerability to the pathogen. As longer-term data continue to accumulate, we now have concerns over its lasting cardiovascular effects after recovery. Moreover, there have been substantial collateral effects on the epidemiology of cardiovascular diseases. Reports of adverse cardiovascular events from vaccination have emerged as new hurdles to our efforts to bring an end to the pandemic. As such, the association between COVID-19 and the cardiovascular system and cardiovascular practice in general is expansive. In this review, we provide an overview of the knowledge and considerations in this field, based on the evidence available at the time of this writing.