Introduction:
Thrombotic events associated with COVID-19 infection contribute to higher morbidity
and mortality of patients. The objective was to review the clinical and imaging characteristics of
patients with suspected diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) and COVID-19 infection, from April
to December 2020.
Methodology:Cross-Sectional observational study that included patients with
a molecular diagnosis of SARS CoV-2 infection and chest computed tomography angiography
(CT angiography) performed for suspected PE. Patients were divided into two groups (PE vs No
PE). Qualitative variables were compared with each other with Pearson’s Chi2 test or Fisher’s exact
test, and quantitative variables were analized with the Student’s T test or the Mann-Whitney U test.
Results:127 patients were included with a median age of 60 (IQR: 45-69) years, 68 (53.5%) were
men and 23.6% (n = 30) presented PE. When comparing PE (n = 30) vs No PE (n = 97), the first
group required more mechanical ventilation, extended days of hospitalization, higher mortality as
well as higher levels of D-Dimer, all with statistically significant difference (p < 0.05).
Conclusion:A quarter of patients with COVID-19 presented PE as a complication with high levels of D-dimer,
a higher frequency of ventilatory assistance, more days of hospitalization and higher mortality