The purpose of this study was to investigate whether routine blood tests and clinical characteristics can predict in-hospital mortality in COVID-19. Clinical data of 285 patients aged 59.7 ± 10.3 yrs. (males n = 189, females n = 96) were retrospectively collected from December 2020 to June 2021. Routine blood tests were recorded within the 1st hour of admission to hospital. The inflammatory variables, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), neutrophils–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the systemic inflammatory index (SII), exceeded the reference values in all patients and were significantly higher in deceased patients (n = 108) compared to survivors (n = 177). The log-rank test for comparing two survival curves showed that patients aged ≥60.5 years, with PCT ≥ 0.188 ng/mL or NLR ≥ 11.57 10³/µL were at a greater risk of death. NLR demonstrated a high impact on the COVID-19 mortality (HR 1.317; 95%CI 1.004–1.728; p < 0.05), whereas CRP and SII showed no effect (HR 1.000; 95%CI 1.000–1.004; p = 0.085 and HR 1.078; 95%CI 0.865–1.344; p = 0.503, respectively). In the first Polish study including COVID-19 patients, we demonstrated that age in relation to simple parameters derived from complete blood cell count has prognostic implications in the course of COVID-19 and can identify the patients at a higher risk of in-hospital mortality.

Central venous access devices (CVADs) are widely used in oncology patients to facilitate administration of chemotherapy and supportive treatments. However, catheter-related thrombosis (CRT) remains one of the most important complications associated with their use. Although overall CRT incidence has been extensively studied, early CRT occurring shortly after catheter implantation remains insufficiently characterized. A narrative review of the literature was performed focusing on studies evaluating CRT in oncology patients with central venous access devices. Relevant studies were identified through searches of the PubMed database and reference lists of selected articles. A total of thirteen studies published between 2005 and 2025 were included in this review. The studies consisted of randomized controlled trials, observational studies, non-randomized studies and retrospective cohort studies, with sample sizes ranging from 48 to 1331 participants. Most studies focused on peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs), while fewer evaluated centrally inserted central catheters (CICC) or implantable ports. Reported CRT incidence varied widely depending on catheter type, ranging from 3.3% to 61.3% for PICCs, 6.5% to 49% for CICCs and 1% to 7.1% for implantable ports. Early CRT (defined as ≤ 7 days after catheter implantation) was rarely evaluated and was reported in only three studies, with incidence ranging from 2.4% to 48.39%. Across studies assessing thromboprophylaxis, overall CRT incidence ranged from 3.1% to 16.1% in control groups and from 0.4% to 14.1% in intervention groups. CRT remains a clinically relevant complication in oncology patients requiring central venous access. Available evidence suggests substantial variability in thrombosis incidence across catheter types, with generally higher rates observed in PICCs compared with implantable ports. Data on early CRT remain limited and heterogeneous, underscoring the need for prospective studies specifically addressing early thrombotic events following catheter implantation. Improved risk stratification and standardized approaches to prevention and management may enhance clinical outcomes.

Objectives: Cancer patients frequently require long-term central venous catheters to facilitate chemotherapy administration. However, catheter-related thrombosis represents a clinically relevant complication that may interrupt cancer treatment. The role of pharmacological thromboprophylaxis in preventing catheter-related thrombosis remains controversial due to concerns regarding bleeding risk. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of prophylactic anticoagulation for the prevention of catheter-related thrombosis in adult cancer patients with long-term central venous catheters. Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, and ClinicalTrials.gov was conducted. Randomized controlled trials and observational studies evaluating prophylactic anticoagulation in adult cancer patients with long-term central venous catheters were included. The primary outcomes were catheter-related thrombosis and major bleeding. Risk of bias was assessed using RoB 2 and ROBINS-I. Meta-analyses were performed using random-effects models where feasible. Results: Sixteen studies were included in this systematic review. Separate quantitative syntheses were performed for randomized and non-randomized studies. In the meta-analysis of three randomized controlled trials including 1022 patients, prophylactic low-molecular-weight heparin did not significantly reduce the risk of catheter-related thrombosis compared with control (RR 0.77; 95% CI 0.53–1.12). A separate analysis of two non-randomized studies including 593 patients suggested a lower reported incidence of catheter-related thrombosis with rivaroxaban (RR 0.23; 95% CI 0.11–0.48). Major bleeding outcomes were inconsistently reported across studies and could not be quantitatively synthesized. Conclusions: Current evidence does not support routine prophylactic anticoagulation for all cancer patients with long-term central venous catheters. However, selected high-risk patients may potentially benefit from individualized thromboprophylaxis. The available evidence remains limited by heterogeneity, low certainty and inconsistent reporting of bleeding outcomes. Further adequately powered randomized trials are required.