COVID-19 and venous thromboembolism: Known and unknown for imaging decisions.

As we continue to fight against the current coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, healthcare professionals across the globe are trying to answer questions surrounding how to best help patients with the up-to-date available science while awaiting the development of new therapies and mass vaccination. Since early in the pandemic, studies indicated a heightened risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in COVID-19 infected patients. There have been differing expert opinions about how to assess pretest probability of VTE in this patient population.

Recommendations for VTE Prophylaxis in Medically Ill Patients.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) remains highly prevalent in medically ill patients, and often leads to increased mortality and cost burden during hospitalization and post-discharge. Nearly half of all VTEs occur during or after hospitalization, with pulmonary embolism accounting for 10% of inpatient mortality. Appropriate prophylaxis in high-risk medically ill patients has been shown to reduce risk of VTE and related mortality.