Effect of combination of prophylactic or therapeutic anticoagulation with aspirin on the outcomes of hospitalized COVID-19 patients: An observational retrospective study

Abstract

Regimens for managing thromboembolic complications of COVID-19 are still not very well established. The present study compares the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 receiving different anticoagulation regimens with and without aspirin. This is a retrospective observational study of 491 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 from August 2020 to April 2021. Data regarding clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, and outcomes of patients receiving different anticoagulation with and without aspirin regimens was collected, according to which 5 patient groups were defined: received no anticoagulation (NAA), prophylactic anticoagulation with (PA) or without aspirin (PAA) and therapeutic anticoagulation with (TA) or without aspirin (TAA). The average age was highest in the TAA group. Desaturation was highest in the TA and TAA groups. Diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia and coronary artery disease were the most prevalent in aspirin groups (PAA and TAA) as was heart failure in the TA and TAA groups and cancer in the TA and PAA groups. Elevated troponin was observed in the PAA and TAA groups. TA and TAA patients received oxygen therapy, needed ICU admission overall, and required invasive ventilation and vasopressors the most. Prophylactic anticoagulation groups (PA and PAA) had the highest patient survival rates. Patients with severe COVID-19 infections were more likely to receive higher, therapeutic, anticoagulation doses. Aspirin was given to patients with preexisting comorbidities, but it had no statistically significant impact on the outcomes of the different groups. Groups receiving prophylactic anticoagulation had the best survival outcomes.