Clinical and coagulation characteristics of 7 patients with critical COVID-2019 pneumonia and acro-ischemia

To investigate the clinical and coagulation characteristics of the critical Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with acro-ischemia in the intensive care unit (ICU). The retrospective study included 7 critical COVID-19 patients with acro-ischemia in a single center in Wuhan, from Feb 4 to Feb 15, 2020. The clinical and laboratory data before and during the ICU stay were analyzed. The median age of 7 patients was 59 years and 4 of them were men. 3 of them were associated with underlying comorbidities. Fever, cough, dyspnea and diarrhea were common clinical symptoms. All patients had acro-ischemia presentations including finger/toe cyanosis, skin bulla and dry gangrene. D-dimer, fibrinogen and fibrinogen degradation product (FDP) were significantly elevated in most patients. Prothrombin time (PT) were prolonged in 4 patients. D-dimer and FDP levels increased progressively when COVID-2019 exacerbated, and 4 patients were diagnosed with definite disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). 6 patients received low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) treatment, after which their D-dimer and FDP decreased, but there was no significant improvement in clinical symptoms. 5 patients died finally and the median time from acro-ischemia to death was 12 days. The existence of hypercoagulation status in critical COVID-2019 patients should be monitored closely, and anticoagulation therapy can be considered in selected patients. More clinical data is needed to investigate the role of anticoagulation in COVID-2019 treatment.