To be sure, so-called “thrombotic events” occur for a variety of reasons among intensive care patients, but the rates among Covid-19 patients are far higher than would be otherwise expected. Blood clots aren’t just dangerous for our limbs, but can make their way to the lungs, heart or brain, where they may cause lethal pulmonary embolisms, heart attacks, and strokes. The experts found the risks were so great that Covid-19 patients “may need to receive blood thinners, preventively, prophylactically,” even before imaging tests are ordered, said Bikdeli. Next, being in intensive care makes a person likelier to develop a clot because they are staying still for so long. A paper in the journal The Lancet last week showed that the virus can infect the inner cell layer of organs and of blood vessels, called the endothelium.

Source: The Express Tribune April 28, 2020 07:18 UTC