PhD defence Markus Martinus Gerardus Mulder
Supervisors: Dr. Bas C. T. van Bussel, Em. Prof. Hugo ten Cate, Prof. lwan C. C. van der Horst
Co-supervisor: Dr. Jan-Willem E. M.Sels
Keywords: COVID-19, Intensive Care, Thrombosis, Coagulopathy
"COVID-19 Associated Coagulopathy in Critically Ill Patients Serial Biomarkers, Anticoagulation, and Prognosis"
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed that critically ill patients were not only affected by severe respiratory disease, but also faced a substantially increased risk of thrombosis, particularly pulmonary embolism. This thesis explored the changes in blood coagulation that occur in critically ill COVID-19 patients during their stay in the intensive care unit.
Serial measurements of coagulation markers were used to study how the coagulation system evolved over the course of critical illness and how these changes were associated with thrombosis, anticoagulant therapy, and clinical outcomes. The findings show that coagulation may remain persistently dysregulated, with an increased potential for clot formation despite anticoagulant therapy. Moreover, conventional laboratory tests did not always accurately reflect the anticoagulant effect of treatment.
Together, these findings provide new insights into the complex coagulation abnormalities associated with severe COVID-19 and may help to further improve the monitoring and management of anticoagulant therapy in critically ill patients.
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