DIC, SIC or CAC – the haemostatic profile in COVID-19 patients hospitalised in the intensive care unit: a single-centre retrospective analysis

BACKGROUND: Infection with SARS-CoV-2 in its most severe form leads to acute respiratory distress syndrome requiring mechanical ventilation under the conditions of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The state of hypercoagulation described in COVID-19 may deepen respiratory failure, leading to increased mortality. The aim of the presented study is to characterise the haemostatic profile based on the results of clotting system parameters and risk assessment of thromboembolic complications of patients hospitalised in the ICU. METHODS: This retrospective study covered the first 10 adult patients hospitalised in the ICU of the Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Warsaw in the second quarter of 2020. Demographic, clinical and laboratory parameters of the coagulation system and the risk of thromboembolic complications were assessed. Well known criteria of haemostatic disorders were used to classify the observed derangements. RESULTS: The most frequently observed deviations in the coagulation system were high concentrations of D-dimer and fibrinogen. In select cases the clotting time was prolonged. No severe thrombocytopenia was observed. All patients presented a high risk of thromboembolic complications as assesed by the Padua score. The observed clotting abnormalities did not meet the criteria for DIC (disseminated intravascular coagulation) and SIC (sepsis-induced coagulopathy) diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: The main elements of coagulopathy that were observed in our cases differ from those usually seen in patients with recognised sepsis. The unique haemostatic profile of COVID-19 patients treated in the ICU has been described as CAC (COVID-19-associated coagulopathy).