Real-World Management of Pharmacological Thromboprophylactic Strategies for COVID-19 Patients in Japan: From the CLOT-COVID Study

Background Data on prophylactic anticoagulation are important in understanding the current issues, unmet needs, and optimal management of Japanese COVID-19 patients. Objectives This study aimed to investigate the clinical management strategies for prophylactic anticoagulation of COVID-19 patients in Japan. Methods The CLOT-COVID study was a multicenter observational study that enrolled 2,894 consecutive hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The study population consisted of 2,889 patients (after excluding 5 patients with missing data); it was divided into 2 groups: patients with pharmacological thromboprophylaxis (n = 1,240) and those without (n = 1,649). Furthermore, we evaluated the 1,233 patients who received prophylactic anticoagulation—excluding 7 patients who could not be classified based on the intensity of their anticoagulants—who were then divided into 2 groups: patients receiving prophylactic anticoagulant doses (n = 889) and therapeutic anticoagulant doses (n = 344). Results The most common pharmacological thromboprophylaxis anticoagulant was unfractionated heparin (68.2%). The severity of COVID-19 at admission was a predictor of the implementation of pharmacological thromboprophylaxis in the multivariable analysis (moderate vs mild: OR: 16.6; 95% CI:13.2-21.0; P < 0.001, severe vs mild: OR: 342.6, 95% CI: 107.7–1090.2; P < 0.001). It was also a predictor of the usage of anticoagulants of therapeutic doses in the multivariable analysis (moderate vs mild: OR: 2.10; 95% CI: 1.46-3.02; P < 0.001, severe vs mild: OR: 5.96; 95% CI: 3.91-9.09; P < 0.001). Conclusions In the current real-world Japanese registry, pharmacological thromboprophylaxis, especially anticoagulants at therapeutic doses, was selectively implemented in COVID-19 patients with comorbidities and severe COVID-19 status at admission.