Clot microstructure in infective and non-infective exacerbation of COPD, are they different?

Objective Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) often develop exacerbations that could be infective or non-infective and are prone to develop thrombosis. To assess thrombogenicity in this group, a functional biomarker of clot microstructure namely fractal dimension ( d f ) is utilised. This sub-group analysis intent to compare the changes in d f between infective and non-infective exacerbation of COPD. Methods 85 patients with acute exacerbations of COPD were recruited from the Emergency Department. Blood samples were taken to determine biomarkers of inflammation, haemostasis and rheology at four time points (0 h, 4–6 h, 24 h and 3–7 days). Results The biomarker of clot microstructure did not attain significance in the infective group when compared to the non-infective group at four time points. Conclusions The study demonstrates that exacerbation caused by infection does not cause more thrombogenicity compared to non-infective causes utilising clot microstructure.