Coronavirus Pneumonia and Pulmonary Thromboembolism

Abstract In 2019, a novel pneumonia, called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), spread rapidly throughout the world. This novel global pandemic severely threatened public respiratory health and medical services. To date, except for the common respiratory symptoms, coagulation disorders, especially pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE), has been proven as an important complication in severe COVID-19 patients, and the incidence of PTE causes poor clinical outcome and increased fatality. Therefore, it is important that healthcare providers, including respiratory physicians, emergency medicine specialists, hematologists, cardiologists, infectious disease specialists, and other specialists, recognize that patients with COVID-19 are at increased risk of PTE, and ensure that appropriate prophylaxis is administered to the appropriate patients, and that they effectively manage PTE when it does occur. The mechanism of PTE in patients with coronavirus pneumonia consists of endothelial injury, activated platelet, cytokine storm, and a suppressed fibrinolytic system. Early prophylaxis, antiviral therapy, anticoagulation, and supportive treatment are beneficial to COVID-19 patients. In this review, we summarize the harm that coronavirus pneumonia wreaks and highlight the clinical relationship between PTE and coronavirus infection. The potential mechanism and the prophylaxis and therapeutic measures are also discussed to call for more effort and research to investigate the strategies for PTE in COVID-19.