Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 infection leads to a hypercoagulable state. The prevalence of pulmonary embolism (PE) seems to be higher in this subgroup of patients. Patients and methods: We combined data from two tertiary referral centers specialized in the management of PE. The aims of this study were as follows: (1) to evaluate the prevalence of PE among a large population of consecutive patients admitted for COVID-19 pneumonia in two centers, (2) to identify a plasma D-dimer threshold that may be useful in PE diagnostic assessment, (3) to characterize the abnormalities associated with PE and mortality in COVID-19 patients. Results: The incidence of symptomatic acute PE was 19.3%. For diagnosing PE in COVID-19 patients, based on ROC curve analysis, we identified a D-dimer concentration/patient’s age ratio of 70, which improved D-dimer diagnostic capacity for PE and led to a reclassification improvement of 14% (NRI 0.14, p = 0.03) when compared to a cut-off level of 1000 ng/mL. Especially in severe COVID-19 lung involvement, D-dimer/age ratio cut-off equal to 70 was characterized by high diagnostic feasibility (sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, positive predictive value of 83%, 94%, 96%, and 73%, respectively). Apart from PE status, lung involvement and troponin T concentration were also independent predictors of in-hospital mortality. In the subgroup of PE patients, mortality was comparable with non-PE patients (19/88 (21.5%) vs. 101/368 (27.4%) for non-PE, p = 0.26) and was associated with older age, higher Bova scores, and higher troponin T concentrations. Age was the sole independent predictor for mortality in this subgroup. Conclusions: PE in COVID-19 patients is common, but it may not influence mortality when managed at a specialized center. In suspected PE, age-adjusted D-dimer levels (upper limit of normal obtained from the formula patient’s age × 70) may still be a useful tool to start the diagnostic workup. In COVID-19 patients without PE, older age, more extensive parenchymal involvement, or higher D-dimer levels are factors predicting mortality.

Background: The prevalence of portopulmonary hypertension (PoPH) is relatively low; however, its presence significantly worsens patients’ prognosis. When diagnosed, PoPH can be effectively treated, and specific therapies can lead to a substantial reduction in pulmonary circulation pressure, facilitating the safe performance of liver transplantation. Echocardiography is recommended as a first-line method for the non-invasive diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension and serves as a valuable screening tool for patients being evaluated for liver transplantation (LT). The objective of this study was to thoroughly assess the occurrence of echocardiographic signs indicative of pulmonary hypertension and hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) in candidates for LT. We assumed that our analysis also made it possible to assess how frequently these candidates require further invasive diagnostics for pulmonary hypertension at specialized centers and how often they may need targeted treatment for pulmonary arterioles as a bridge to transplantation, which could improve patient outcomes. Additionally, this study included a comprehensive review of the current literature. Methods: All LT candidates underwent standardized transthoracic echocardiography and contrast evaluation to identify intrapulmonary vascular shunts. Results: A total of 152 liver transplantation candidates (67 women, mean age 50.6 years) were included in the analysis. The estimated echocardiographic probability of pulmonary hypertension was classified as high in only one patient. However, 63 patients exhibited the visualization of microbubbles in the left heart chambers after an average of six cardiac cycles (ranging from three to nine cycles) following their appearance in the right heart. Conclusions: Our analysis shows that the features of PoPH and a high probability of PH were very rare in the LT candidates, and echocardiographic signs suggestive of hepatopulmonary syndrome were more prevalent. Liver transplant candidates need screening for PoPH and HPS, as both PoPH and HPS significantly worsen their prognosis, but specific PH treatment as a bridge to transplantation improves PoPH patients’ survival.