Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36952456›Full record

ArticlePloS one2023

Systematic screening versus clinical gestalt in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism in COVID-19 patients in the emergency department.

Inge H Y Luu, Tim Frijns, Jacqueline Buijs, Jasenko Krdzalic, Martijn D de Kruif, Guy J M Mostard, Hugo Ten Cate, Remy J H Martens, Remy L M Mostard, Math P G Leers and 1 more

Open access · goldFull text read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
1.4field-weighted citation impact, top 20% 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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Inge H Y LuuDepartment of Internal Medicine, Zuyderland Medical Centre, Sittard/Heerlen, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-3419-7273
Tim FrijnsDepartment of Internal Medicine, Zuyderland Medical Centre, Sittard/Heerlen, The Netherlands.
Jacqueline BuijsDepartment of Internal Medicine, Zuyderland Medical Centre, Sittard/Heerlen, The Netherlands.
Jasenko KrdzalicDepartment of Radiology, Zuyderland Medical Centre, Sittard/Heerlen, The Netherlands.
Martijn D de KruifDepartment of Pulmonology, Zuyderland Medical Centre, Sittard/Heerlen, The Netherlands.
Guy J M MostardDepartment of Internal Medicine, Zuyderland Medical Centre, Sittard/Heerlen, The Netherlands.
Hugo Ten CateDepartment of Internal Medicine and Biochemistry, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Remy J H MartensDepartment of Clinical Chemistry and Haematology, Zuyderland Medical Centre, Sittard/Heerlen, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-4632-6412
Remy L M MostardDepartment of Pulmonology, Zuyderland Medical Centre, Sittard/Heerlen, The Netherlands.
Math P G LeersDepartment of Clinical Chemistry and Haematology, Zuyderland Medical Centre, Sittard/Heerlen, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-5186-5600
Daan J L van TwistDepartment of Internal Medicine, Zuyderland Medical Centre, Sittard/Heerlen, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-8433-8030
Zuyderland Medisch Centrum · NLMaastricht University Medical Centre · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDiagnosing concomitant pulmonary embolism (PE) in COVID-19 patients remains challenging. As such, PE may be overlooked. We compared the diagnostic yield of systematic PE-screening based on the YEARS-algorithm to PE-screening based on clinical gestalt in emergency department (ED) patients with COVID-19.

methodsWe included all ED patients who were admitted because of COVID-19 between March 2020 and February 2021. Patients already receiving anticoagulant treatment were excluded. Up to April 7, 2020, the decision to perform CT-pulmonary angiography (CTPA) was based on physician's clinical gestalt (clinical gestalt cohort). From April 7 onwards, systematic PE-screening was performed by CTPA if D-dimer level was ≥1000 ug/L, or ≥500 ug/L in case of ≥1 YEARS-item (systematic screening cohort).

results1095 ED patients with COVID-19 were admitted. After applying exclusion criteria, 289 were included in the clinical gestalt and 574 in the systematic screening cohort. The number of PE diagnoses was significantly higher in the systematic screening cohort compared to the clinical gestalt cohort: 8.2% vs. 1.0% (3/289 vs. 47/574; p<0.001), even after adjustment for differences in patient characteristics (adjusted OR 8.45 (95%CI 2.61-27.42, p<0.001) for PE diagnosis). In multivariate analysis, D-dimer (OR 1.09 per 1000 μg/L increase, 95%CI 1.06-1.13, p<0.001) and CRP >100 mg/L (OR 2.78, 95%CI 1.37-5.66, p = 0.005) were independently associated with PE.

conclusionIn ED patients with COVID-19, the number of PE diagnosis was significantly higher in the cohort that underwent systematic PE screening based on the YEARS-algorithm in comparison with the clinical gestalt cohort, with a number needed to test of 7.1 CTPAs to detect one PE.

Indexed as

COVID-19Pulmonary EmbolismCOVID-19 TestingEmergency Service, HospitalFibrin Fibrinogen Degradation ProductsHumansPatientsRetrospective StudiesFibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products

Identifiers

PMID36952456
PMCPMC10035852
OpenAlexW4360609335

What OpenQuestion holds

Textfull text, public
LicenceCC BY
measurements read74
identifiers read6
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.