Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32853978›Full record

SynthesisThrombosis research2020

Venous thromboembolism in patients with COVID-19: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Angelo Porfidia, Emanuele Valeriani, Roberto Pola, Ettore Porreca, Anne W S Rutjes, Marcello Di Nisio

Open access · bronzeAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Thrombosis research, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 131 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
131citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
5.0field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

131 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 236 citations in OpenAlex.

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  8. Article
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  10. Deep Vein Thrombosis in Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19 Pneumonia: Incidence, Wells Score Diagnostic Performance, and Hospital Prognosis.Journal of ultrasound in medicine : official journal of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine · 2026
    Observational
  11. Article
  12. Review
  13. Article
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  17. Thromboembolic Events in the Era of COVID-19: A Detailed Narrative Review.The Canadian journal of infectious diseases & medical microbiology = Journal canadien des maladies infectieuses et de la microbiologie medicale · 2025
    Review
  18. Immunity and Coagulation in COVID-19.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024
    Review
  19. Article
  20. Review

71 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Angelo PorfidiaDivision of Internal Medicine, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
Emanuele ValerianiDepartment of Medical, Oral and Biotechnological Sciences, "G. D'Annunzio" University, Via dei Vestini 31, 66100 Chieti, Italy; Department of Internal Medicine, Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Italy. Electronic address: emanuele.valeriani@outlook.com.
Roberto PolaDivision of Internal Medicine, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
Ettore PorrecaDepartment of Medical, Oral and Biotechnological Sciences, "G. D'Annunzio" University, Via dei Vestini 31, 66100 Chieti, Italy.
Anne W S RutjesInstitute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Marcello Di NisioDepartment of Medicine and Ageing Sciences, "G. D'Annunzio" University, Chieti-Pescara, Italy.
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore · ITUniversity of Chieti-Pescara · ITUniversità Campus Bio-Medico · ITUniversity of Bern · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundVenous thromboembolism (VTE) may complicate the course of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

objectivesTo evaluate the incidence of VTE in patients with COVID-19.

methodsMEDLINE, EMBASE, and PubMed were searched up to 24th June 2020 for studies that evaluated the incidence of VTE, including pulmonary embolism (PE) and/or deep vein thrombosis (DVT), in patients with COVID-19. Pooled proportions with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) and prediction intervals (PI) were calculated by random-effect meta-analysis.

results3487 patients from 30 studies were included. Based on very low-quality evidence due to heterogeneity and risk of bias, the incidence of VTE was 26% (95% PI, 6%-66%). PE with or without DVT occurred in 12% of patients (95% PI, 2%-46%) and DVT alone in 14% (95% PI, 1%-75%). Studies using standard algorithms for clinically suspected VTE reported PE in 13% of patients (95% PI, 2%-57%) and DVT in 6% (95% PI, 0%-60%), compared to 11% (95% PI, 2%-46%) and 24% (95% PI, 2%-85%) in studies using other diagnostic strategies or patient sampling. In patients admitted to intensive care units, VTE occurred in 24% (95% PI, 5%-66%), PE in 19% (95% PI, 6%-47%), and DVT alone in 7% (95% PI, 0%-69%). Corresponding values in general wards were respectively 9% (95% PI, 0%-94%), 4% (95% PI, 0%-100%), and 7% (95% CI, 1%-49%).

conclusionsVTE represents a frequent complication in hospitalized COVID-19 patients and often occurs as PE. The threshold for clinical suspicion should be low to trigger prompt diagnostic testing.

Indexed as

SARS-CoV-2AgedCOVID-19FemaleHumansIncidenceMaleMiddle AgedPulmonary EmbolismVenous ThromboembolismVenous ThrombosisAnticoagulantsCOVID-19Pulmonary embolismSARS virusVenous thromboembolism

Identifiers

PMID32853978
PMCPMC7420982
OpenAlexW3048756259

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.