The Dutch COVID & Thrombosis Coalition: a Dutch initiative to study COVID-19 associated thrombosis
On the 31st of December, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission about a new virus causing the new COVID-19 disease issued an alert. In a few months, a global pandemic has ensued caused by SARS-CoV-2. Patients had a variety of symptoms and there was a big difference in the severity of symptoms. Healthcare professionals worldwide observed a hypercoagulable state in critically ill COVID-19 patients. It was characterized by elevated D-dimers, high fibrinogen levels, a slightly prolonged prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time, and a mild thrombocytopenia. This hypercoagulable state can be associated with arterial and venous thrombotic events, in particular pulmonary embolisms, with rare bleeding complications. Patients with this coagulopathy seem to have a higher mortality rate compared to patients without.
A consortium has been created commissioned by the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZONMW) and the Netherlands Thrombosis Foundation (TSN), in which experts in the broad area of thrombosis and hemostasis clinical care and research are collaborating to study COVID-19 associated thrombosis. In this research endeavor, named the Dutch COVID & Thrombosis Coalition, researchers from all university medical centers and general hospitals have collaborated under the leadership of Dr. Marieke Kruip, hematologist affiliated with the Erasmus Medical Centre Rotterdam. This program is dived into five work packages.
Work packages
WP1: to unravel pathophysiological mechanisms that cause COVID-19 associated coagulopathy
WP2: to identify the molecular mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 induced thrombosis
WP3: to define the optimal strategies for prevention and treatment of VTE in COVID-19 patients
WP4: to predict the risk of VTE in admitted patients with COVID-19
WP5: to assess the impact and long-term consequences of VTE in COVID-19 patients.
WP2: to identify the molecular mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 induced thrombosis
WP3: to define the optimal strategies for prevention and treatment of VTE in COVID-19 patients
WP4: to predict the risk of VTE in admitted patients with COVID-19
WP5: to assess the impact and long-term consequences of VTE in COVID-19 patients.
Collaboration
Experts in the broad area of thrombosis and hemostasis clinical care and research have created a consortium to centralize data collection of patients with COVID-19 to solve questions about the COVID-19 associated thrombosis. In the last few months, physicians of different backgrounds, basic scientists, epidemiologists, clinical chemists, doctors, researchers, pharmacists and data-analysts from several academic and peripheral hospitals, nursing homes and thrombosis services have become member of this consortium. On the collaborators page you will be able to find a list of the participating organizations.
Participation
Participating hospitals will have access to the database and the ongoing results. Furthermore, participating members have the opportunity to submit interesting subprojects and to collaborate with other consortia.
Sponsors
