JOPIC
Journal of Pulmonology and Intensive Care

The JoPIC is an independent-unbiased, peer-reviewed, and open-access journal of current national and international issues and reviews for original clinical and experimental research, interesting case reports, surgical techniques, differential diagnoses, editorial opinions, letters to the editor, and educational papers in pulmonology, thoracic surgery, occupational diseases, allergology, and intensive care medicine.

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Original Article
Incidence and prognostic value of COVID-19-associated coagulopathy in intensive care unit patients: a retrospective cohort study
Abstract
Aims: COVID-19-associated coagulopathy (CAC) is a critical complication contributing to mortality in critically ill patients. The prognostic utility of established scoring systems like Sepsis-Induced Coagulopathy (SIC) and Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) in this specific context requires further elucidation. This study aimed to determine the incidence, associated risk factors, and mortality impact of CAC in intensive care unit (ICU) patients, and to evaluate the predictive performance of SIC and DIC scores.
Methods: A single-center, retrospective cohort study was conducted on 320 consecutive COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU between March 2020 and December 2021. Coagulopathy was defined as a DIC score ?5 or SIC score ?4 at any point during ICU stay. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were analyzed. Predictive values for mortality were assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.
Results: The incidence of CAC was 39.1% (n=125). Patients with coagulopathy had significantly lower platelet counts and elevated PT, APTT, INR, D-dimer, ferritin, CRP, creatinine, LDH, and IL-6 levels on admission (all p<0.05). Mortality was markedly higher in the coagulopathy group (79.8% vs. 42.4%, p<0.001). A strong positive correlation was found between DIC and SIC scores at all time points (Day 1: r=0.434; Day 7: r=0.524; Day 14: r=0.686; all p<0.001). Both scores were significant predictors of mortality; the DIC score demonstrated a superior predictive ability with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.85 (95% CI: 0.79–0.90), compared to an AUC of 0.81 (95% CI: 0.75–0.87) for the SIC score.
Conclusion: CAC is prevalent in critically ill COVID-19 patients and is independently associated with a near-doubling of mortality risk. The DIC and SIC scores are valuable, correlated tools for risk stratification, with the DIC score showing a stronger predictive value for mortality. These findings underscore the necessity of early identification and aggressive, individualized management of coagulopathy in this patient population.

Keywords : COVID-19, coagulopathy, disseminated intravascular coagulation, sepsis-induced coagulopathy, intensive care, mortality, predictive scoring.

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Article available in :
Volume 4, Issue 2, 2026
Page : 1-6
https://doi.org/10.51271/JOPIC-0076
Article Information
Received : 02 Şub 2026
Accepted : 19 Mar 2026
Published : 21 May 2026
Corresponding Author :

Gökçen Terzi: Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation,Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Yenimahalle Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkiye

[email protected]
Citation : Terzi G, Kaymak Ç, Nakip M, et al. Incidence and prognostic value of COVID-19-associated coagulopathy in intensive care unit patients: a retrospective cohort study. J Pulmonol Intens Care. 2026;4(2):31-36. doi:10.51271/JOPIC-0076

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