ASH to develop anticoagulation guidelines for patients with COVID-19

By Nicola Garrett

12 May 2020

The American Society of Haematology is putting together an international  panel of  experts to develop clinical practice guidelines on the use of anticoagulation in patients with COVID-19.

The move is in response to recent evidence citing coagulopathy as the cause of an increased risk of death in patients with COVID-19.

The guidelines will address four distinct populations of patients with COVID-19: acutely ill hospitalised patients; critically ill hospitalised patients; patients after hospital discharge; and non-hospitalised patients.

They will be based on currently available evidence, including indirect evidence from non-COVID-19 patients and early reports from observational studies.

“Abnormal blood clotting has been observed in those who have been infected with the virus, and these clots can be very dangerous and even life-threatening,” said ASH President Stephanie Lee, MD, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

“There is an urgent and critical need to provide guidance based on the best available evidence for those treating patients with this disease, recognising also that there are different methods of anticoagulation and risks.

“Haematologists are experts at treating blood clotting and ASH has extensive experience with guidelines development, so by convening a panel of haematology experts as well as experts in other medical fields including infectious disease and critical care medicine, we will create evidence-based anticoagulation recommendations to assist those on the front lines of COVID-19 treatment.”

Initial recommendations are expected to be published in three to six months and will be updated as new evidence emerges.

ASH is accepting nominations for the guideline panel  including experts in infectious disease and critical care.

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