Epidemiology, clinical features and prognostic factors in patients with Covid-19 and acute limb ischaemia - A single center study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the incidence, clinical and paraclinical characteristics and outcomes of Covid-19 positive patients presenting in the Emergency Department (ED) with and treated for acute limb ischaemia (ALI) during a 2-year period.

METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted in the ED of St. Spiridon County Clinical Emergency Hospital in Iasi, north-east region of Romania. The patients included in this study presented in the ED between March 1st , 2020 and February 28th , 2022 with ALI and Covid-19.

RESULTS: During the study period, a total number of 141018 patients were evaluated in our ED, 8578 (representing 6,08%) patients being diagnosed with Covid-19. Of them, 98 (1.14% of all with Covid-19) presented ALI. The mean age was 70.9 ± 10.23 and 67.3% of the patients were males. At admission, 57% of patients had Covid-19-related pneumonia, identified on X-ray or CT scan. Of all patients, 81 (82%) were diagnosed with ALI in lower limbs with 10% of them having affected both limbs. 95% of the patients presented comorbidities, the main being cardiac (85%), diabetes mellitus (37%), vascular (24%) and neurological (22.6%). Non-survivor patients were more likely to have Covid-19 pneumonia on chest X-ray or CT scan, 92% versus 44% (OR 15, CI 3.3; 68, p < .01), lymphopenia 96% versus 70% (OR 10.2, CI 1.30; 80.9, p < .01), a NLR over 9.77% versus 30% (OR 7.5, CI 2.6; 21.4, p < .01), acidosis 65% versus 33% (OR 3.8, CI 1.4; 9.7, p < .01), abnormal AST, 69% versus 29% (OR 5.4, CI 2; 14.5, p < .01) and secondary amputation, 38.5 versus 11.1% (OR 5, CI 1.7; 14.7, p < 0.1). Overall, the mortality rate was 26.5%.

CONCLUSION: The prevalence of ALI in patients infected with Covid-19 who were evaluated in our ED was 1.14%. The highest mortality rate was probably related to Covid-19 pneumonia. We observed that patients with Covid-19 pneumonia, lymphopenia, a NLR >9, metabolic acidosis, increased AST at ED admission and secondary amputation had a higher mortality.