TY - JOUR T1 - Platelet aggregates, a marker of severe COVID-19 disease JF - Journal of Clinical Pathology JO - J Clin Pathol DO - 10.1136/jclinpath-2020-206933 SP - jclinpath-2020-206933 AU - Alexandros Rampotas AU - Sue Pavord Y1 - 2020/10/16 UR - http://jcp.bmj.com/content/early/2020/10/16/jclinpath-2020-206933.abstract N2 - Thrombocytopenia is common in an intensive care unit (ICU) setting due to endogenous and iatrogenic factors. Despite that, thrombocytopenia in patients with severe COVID-19 infections is surprisingly uncommon. By examining the blood film of 20 ICU patients with COVID-19, we observed the presence of platelet aggregates and macrothrombocytes indicating increased platelet activity. We compared these findings with 20 blood films of non-severe COVID-19 cases where these findings were absent. These morphology features could be consistent with severe COVID-19 infection and is further evidence of the important role that platelets play when COVID-19 manifests with thrombotic complications or respiratory failure. ER -