Prevention and Treatment of Venous Thromboembolism Key Clinical Questions
05. Which COVID-19+ patients should receive VTE prophylaxis?
a. HOMERuN institutions
All institutions recommend VTE prophylaxis in inpatients with COVID-19 infection.
b. What is Known
Numerous studies have reported generally higher rates of VTE in inpatients with COVID-19 infection (even with VTE prophylaxis) than is typically seen in comparable inpatients without COVID-19, triggering the universal recommendation among HOMERuN institutions that all such inpatients receive VTE prophylaxis.
c. What is Not Known
It remains uncertain whether VTE prophylaxis reduces VTE rates in inpatients with COVID-19, though most such inpatients would have qualified for use of VTE prophylaxis in the randomized clinical trials that have investigated VTE prophylaxis in medical inpatients. It is also unclear whether standard prophylactic dosing is adequate or whether more aggressive prophylactic dosing or even therapeutic dosing is warranted for optimal prevention (see question focusing on VTE prophylaxis strategies).