A new study suggests that starting heparin prophylaxis within 24 hours of hospital admission for COVID-19 was tied to considerably better outcomes.

Investigators noted that starting anticoagulation early was linked with 27% lower relative risk of 30-day mortality compared to no anticoagulation (14.3% vs 18.7%, HR 0.73, 95% CI 0.66-0.81). Preventive heparin use was associated with similar positive outcomes for inpatient mortality (HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.61-0.77) and initiation of therapeutic anticoagulation (HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.73-0.90). Additionally, early prophylaxis was not linked with increased risk of bleeding that needed transfusion (HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.71-1.05). The study included 4,297 patients admitted to VA hospitals between March 1 and July 31, 2020, with confirmed severe COVID-19 and no history of anticoagulation. The findings are published in The BMJ… (Medpage Today)