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Intermediate-dose anticoagulation, aspirin, and in-hospital mortality in COVID-19: a propensity score-matched
Matthew L Meizlish1, George Goshua2, Yiwen Liu3
1Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.
Insights
Intermediate-dose anticoagulation and aspirin significantly reduced in-hospital deaths for COVID-19 patients. This study highlights the benefits of these antithrombotic therapies in reducing mortality for hospitalized COVID-19 cases.
Area of Science:
- Internal Medicine
- Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Hospitalized COVID-19 patients face high rates of thrombotic complications.
- The effectiveness of intensive antithrombotic therapy in reducing mortality remains uncertain.
Approach:
- Two nested cohorts were established from 2785 hospitalized COVID-19 patients: one comparing intermediate- versus prophylactic-dose anticoagulation (N=1624), and another comparing in-hospital aspirin versus no antiplatelet therapy (N=1956).
- Propensity score matching was used to balance covariates between treatment groups within each cohort.
- The primary outcome was the cumulative incidence of in-hospital death.
Key Points:
- In the anticoagulation cohort (N=382), intermediate-dose anticoagulation was associated with a significantly lower incidence of in-hospital death compared to prophylactic-dose (HR 0.518).
- In the aspirin cohort (N=638), in-hospital aspirin was associated with a significantly lower incidence of in-hospital death compared to no antiplatelet therapy (HR 0.522).
Conclusions:
- Intermediate-dose anticoagulation and aspirin are associated with reduced in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients.
- These findings support the use of these antithrombotic strategies in managing hospitalized COVID-19 patients to improve survival outcomes.
Background:
Thrombotic complications occur at high rates in hospitalized patients with COVID-19, yet the impact of intensive antithrombotic therapy on mortality is uncertain.
Research Question:
How does in-hospital mortality compare with intermediate- versus prophylactic-dose anticoagulation, and separately with in-hospital aspirin versus no antiplatelet therapy, in treatment of COVID-19?
Study Design And Methods:
Using data from 2785 hospitalized adult COVID-19 patients, we established two separate, nested cohorts of patients (1) who received intermediate- or prophylactic-dose anticoagulation ("anticoagulation cohort", N = 1624), or (2) who were not on home antiplatelet therapy and received either in-hospital aspirin or no antiplatelet therapy ("aspirin cohort", N = 1956). Propensity score matching utilizing various markers of illness severity and other patient-specific covariates yielded treatment groups with well-balanced covariates in each cohort. The primary outcome was cumulative incidence of in-hospital death.
Results:
Among propensity score-matched patients in the anticoagulation cohort (N = 382), in a multivariable regression model, intermediate- compared to prophylactic-dose anticoagulation was associated with a significantly lower cumulative incidence of in-hospital death (hazard ratio 0.518 [0.308-0.872]). Among propensity-score matched patients in the aspirin cohort (N = 638), in a multivariable regression model, in-hospital aspirin compared to no antiplatelet therapy was associated with a significantly lower cumulative incidence of in-hospital death (hazard ratio 0.522 [0.336-0.812]).
Interpretation:
In this propensity score-matched, observational study of COVID-19, intermediate-dose anticoagulation and aspirin were each associated with a lower cumulative incidence of in-hospital death.
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