Critically ill Covid-19 patients face a high risk of developing kidney failure, stroke, and other complications associated with blood clot formation, according to a study which suggests that early tests may help save those severely affected by the disease.
The study, published in the Journal of American College of Surgeons, builds on growing evidence that Covid-19-infected patients are highly predisposed to developing blood clots.
In the study, the scientists, including those from the University of Colorado in the U.S., linked blood clotting measurements with actual patient outcomes.
The researchers said they are also currently conducting a randomised clinical trial of a drug that breaks down blood clots in Covid-19-infected patients.
"This is an early step on the road to discovering treatments to prevent some of the complications that come with this disease," said Franklin Wright, lead author of the study from the University of Colorado.
According to the study, patients who are critically ill, regardless of cause, can develop a condition known as disseminated intravascular coagulation. In this condition, the blood of these patients initially forms many clots in small blood vessels, the scientists said. The body's natural clotting factors can form too much clot, or eventually not be able to effectively form any clot, leading to issues of both excessive clotting and excessive bleeding, they explained.
However, in patients with Covid-19, the researchers said, the clotting appears to be particularly severe. Citing Covid-19 case studies in China and from different parts of the world, they said the clots in these patients do not appear to dissipate.
Source: PTI