Doctors and medical researchers expressed concerns about the increase in blood clotting on patients diagnosed with severe cases of COVID-19.
These “thrombotic events” occur for many reasons among intensive care patients, but a study suggests that the rates among Covid-19 patients are far higher than expected, AFP reported.
“I have had 40-year-olds in my ICU who have clots in their fingers that look like they’ll lose the finger, but there’s no other reason to lose the finger than the virus,” Shari Brosnahan, a critical care doctor at NYU Langone told AFP.
Blood clot occurs when some parts of the blood thicken, blocking the blood flow in a certain part of the body.
If left untreated, the clot will be life-threatening as it may cause lethal pulmonary embolisms, heart attacks, and strokes if it can find its way to the lungs, heart, or brain.
It may also lead to amputation just like the case of Broadway and TV actor Nick Cordero who spend three weeks in intensive care after contracting COVID-19.
A research paper published in the journal Thrombosis Research found that 31 percent of 184 patients in the study suffered thrombotic complications which are deemed by researchers as extremely high.
This was supported by a group of an international consortium of experts led by Dr. Behnood Bikdeli from New York–Presbyterian Hospital. Their findings were published in the Journal of The American College of Cardiology.
It is not yet clear how and if the virus can trigger clotting, however, the findings of their study offered some explanations.
According to the findings of their study, patients with severe cases of COVID-19 who also have underlying medical conditions such as heart or lung disease got higher rates of developing blood clot.
Those who are in intensive care will also develop clotting as they are rendered immobile or staying still for a long period.
Furthermore, the virus is linked with an abnormal immune reaction called “cytokine storm.” This reaction is also associated with higher risks for clotting.
Broshanan, on the other hand, some thinners are working in some patients but they there are instances that they are ineffective as the clots are too small.
“There are too many microclots. We’re not sure exactly where they are,” she said.
She added that some patients have lungs filled with microclots, blocking circulation, and leaving the blood with less oxygen that is needed.
These microclots makes the ventilators work poorly on some patients with low blood oxygen.
“While we react surprised, we shouldn’t be as surprised as we were. Viruses tend to do weird things,” Brosnahan stressed.
“It’s possible it’s all the same thing, and that there’ll be the same solution.”
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