Pulmonary embolism after discharge for COVID-19: A report of two cases.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Deutch MR
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8381454 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundSince the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, several cardiovascular manifestations have been described. Among them, venous thromboembolism (VTE) seems to be one of the most frequent, particularly in intensive care unit patients. We report two cases of COVID-19 patients developing acute pulmonary embolism (PE) after discharge from a first hospitalization for pneumonia of moderate severity.Case summaryTwo patients with positive RT-PCR test were initially hospitalized for non-severe COVID-19. Both received standard thromboprophylaxis during the index hospitalization and had no strong predisposing risk factors for VTE. Few days after discharge, they were both readmitted for worsening dyspnoea due to PE. One patient was positive for lupus anticoagulant.DiscussionWorsening respiratory status in COVID-19 patients must encourage physicians to search for PE since SARS-CoV-2 infection may act as a precipitant risk factor for VTE. Patients may thus require more aggressive and longer thromboprophylaxis after COVID-19 related hospitalization.
| S-EPMC7793223 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundMyocardial injury is associated with excess mortality in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections, and the mechanisms of injury are diverse. Coagulopathy associated with this infection may have unique cardiovascular implications.Case summaryWe present a case of 62-year-old male who presented after experiencing syncope and cardiac arrest. Given the clinical presentation and electrocardiographic findings, there was concern for acute coronary syndrome. However, coronary angiogram did not reveal significant coronary obstruction. Due to the unclear nature of his presentation, a bedside echocardiogram was rapidly performed and was indicative of right ventricular strain. Due to these findings, a pulmonary angiogram was performed that revealed massive pulmonary embolism. He successfully underwent catheter-directed thrombolysis and, after a prolonged hospital stay, was discharged home on lifelong anticoagulation.DiscussionThe impact of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) on the cardiovascular system has been prominent and multifaceted. COVID-19 can have wide-ranging effects on the cardiovascular system due to coagulopathy with resultant venous and arterial thrombo-embolism. Due to the critical condition of many patients affected by COVID-19, imaging for thrombo-embolic events is often delayed. With the use of bedside echocardiogram, observation of right ventricular strain may be critical in raising suspicion for pulmonary embolism, especially when atypical features are noted on electrocardiogram.
| S-EPMC7454543 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Right heart thrombus accompanied by chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension is a rare entity. Right heart thrombus may develop in the peripheral veins or in situ within the right heart chambers. The diagnosis of right heart thrombus is challenging, since its symptoms are typically non-specific and its imaging features resemble those of cardiac masses. Here, we report two cases of right heart thrombus with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension that presented as right ventricular masses initially. Both patients underwent simultaneous pulmonary endarterectomy and resection of the ventricular thrombi. Thus, when mass-like features are confirmed by imaging, right heart thrombus should be suspected in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, and simultaneous right heart thrombus resection is required along with pulmonary endarterectomy.
| S-EPMC8127759 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Neuropsychiatric symptoms are a common complication of COVID-19, with symptoms documented both during acute COVID-19 infection (parainfectious) and persisting or developing after the resolution of respiratory symptoms (postinfectious). Patients have presented with a variety of symptoms such as anosmia, thrombotic events, seizures, cognitive and attention deficits, new-onset anxiety, depression, psychosis, and rarely catatonia. Etiology appears to be related to disruption of regular neurotransmission and hypoxic injury secondary to systemic inflammation and cytokine storm. Although rare, catatonia and each of its subtypes have now been reported as complications of COVID-19 and therefore should be considered known to occur in both the parainfectious and postinfectious states. Diagnosis of catatonia in the context of COVID-19 should be considered when work-up for more common medical causes of encephalopathy are negative, there is no identifiable psychiatric etiology for catatonia, and there is a positive response to benzodiazepines.
| S-EPMC8351790 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundPatients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia are hypercoagulable and are at risk for acute pulmonary embolism. Timely diagnosis is imperative for their prognosis and recovery. This case describes an otherwise healthy 55-year-old man with respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilatory support secondary to COVID-19 pneumonia. Massive acute pulmonary embolism with right heart failure complicated his course.CaseA healthy 55-year-old man presented to our emergency department (ED) with a sore throat, cough, and myalgia. A nasopharyngeal swab was obtained, and he was discharged for home quarantine. His swab turned positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection on real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay (RT-PCR) on day 2 of his ED visit. A week later, he represented with worsening shortness of breath, requiring intubation for hypoxic respiratory failure due to COVID-19 pneumonia. Initially, he was easy to oxygenate, had no hemodynamic compromise, and was afebrile. On day 3, he became febrile and developed significant hemodynamic instability requiring maximum vasopressor support and oxygenation difficulty. His ECG revealed sinus tachycardia with S1Q3T3 pattern. On bedside TTE, there was evidence of right heart strain and elevated pulmonary artery systolic pressure of 45 mmHg. All data was indicative of a massive APE as the etiology for his hemodynamic collapse. A decision was made to forgo computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA), given his clinical instability, and systemic thrombolytic therapy was administered. Within the next 12-24 hours, his hemodynamic status significantly improved.ConclusionsThis case highlights the importance of considering massive APE in COVID-19 patients as a cause of the sudden and rapid hemodynamic decline. Furthermore, timely diagnosis can be made to aid in appropriate management with the help of bedside TTE and ECG in cases where CTPA is not feasible secondary to the patient's hemodynamic instability.
| S-EPMC7593723 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a frequent condition, which may worsen the prognosis of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Nevertheless, the incidence of this complication is unknown in patients with mild COVID-19 symptoms.Case summaryA 26-year-old female nurse, who had been taking oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) treatment for the last 2 years, developed mild COVID-19 symptoms (rhinitis and anosmia). She underwent isolation at home and was subsequently followed up with telehealth visits. Fifteen days after her initial presentation, she developed acute onset sudden dyspnoea. On physical examination, she was found to be tachycardic with normal pulse oximetry. The initial risk score for VTE was moderate and laboratory results showed increased D-dimer level without other relevant findings. Computed tomography pulmonary angiography was performed, which confirmed low-risk subsegmental pulmonary embolism.DiscussionVenous thromboembolism in patients who present with severe COVID-19 symptoms has already been described in the literature; its incidence is greater in patients hospitalized in intensive care units. Efforts to prevent VTE based on risk scores are widely recognized. However, the relationship in patients who present with mild COVID-19 symptoms and VTE is still unknown. Recently, experts on this field have introduced thromboprophylaxis guidelines including ambulatory patients based on the severity of COVID-19 symptoms and pro-thrombotic risk. Our patient showed no major risk for developing VTE; therefore, the VTE could be associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection or the eventual pro-thrombotic association with the concomitant use of OCPs.
| S-EPMC7819833 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease is a highly prothrombotic state. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) are observed with increased incidence in patients infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus.Case summaryA 57-year-old male patient with a recent COVID-19 infection complained of leg swelling shortly after his COVID ward discharge. A few days later he was hospitalized with acute massive PE and DVT of his left leg was diagnosed. In another facility, as the first line of treatment, the PE was managed with catheter-directed therapy (CDT) using thrombus defragmentation via 5F (French) Pigtail catheter and supraselective application of 40 mg alteplase. Following the procedure, in addition, 50 mg alteplase was also applied as a 1 hour systemic infusion. Despite the haemodynamic stabilization of the patient, he remained persistently symptomatic and tachycardic. Three days later-in our institution, a second computed tomography pulmoangiography revealed massive thrombotic masses mainly in the left pulmonary artery. Successful percutaneous thrombus aspiration was conducted. The procedure was uneventful with an immediate drop of systolic pulmonary artery pressure from 68 to 47 mmHg and relief of the patient's symptoms.DiscussionIn the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, physicians have to remain vigilant of its potential thrombotic complications, the most commonly observed being DVT and PE. We demonstrated the efficacy of percutaneous thrombus aspiration in a patient with acute COVID-19-associated PE, after initial CDT with thrombus defragmentation and high-dose tissue plasminogen activator was implemented with a suboptimal result.
| S-EPMC9214152 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundDuring the ongoing global outbreak of COVID-19, pregnant women who are susceptible to COVID-19 should be highly concerned. The issue of vertical transmission and the possibility of neonatal infection is a major concern.Case presentationCase 1: A 35-year-old pregnant woman with a gestational age of 37 weeks and 6 days was admitted to our hospital at the point of giving birth. Except for the abnormalities in her chest CT image, she was asymptomatic. She had an uncomplicated spontaneous vaginal delivery, and her infant was discharged home for isolation. Because of the positive result of the maternal swabs for SARS-CoV-2 obtained on the 2nd day after sampling, we transferred the mother to the designated hospital and followed up with her by telephone interviews. Luckily, it was confirmed on February 23 that the newborn did not develop any COVID-19 symptoms after observation for 14 days after birth. Case 2: Another pregnant woman, with a gestational age of 38 weeks and 2 days, was also admitted to our hospital because of spontaneous labor with cervical dilation of 5 cm. Since she had the typical manifestations of COVID-19, including cough, lymphopenia, and abnormal chest CT images, she was highly suspected of having COVID-19. Based on the experience from case 1, we helped the mother deliver a healthy baby by vaginal delivery. On the 2nd day after delivery, the maternal nasopharyngeal swab result was positive, while the infant's result was negative.ConclusionThere is still insufficient evidence supporting maternal-fetal vertical transmission for COVID-19-infected mothers in late pregnancy, and vaginal delivery may not increase the possibility of neonatal infection.
| S-EPMC7530846 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Since December 2019, a novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was confirmed as the etiologic agent of a worldwide outbreak of a pneumonia that can result in severe respiratory failure. This clinical entity seems to be associated with a marked hypercoagulable state that causes both arterial and venous thromboembolic complications. Therefore, an adequate anti-thrombotic prophylaxis is recommended in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Although rapidly worsening respiratory symptoms in a patient with SARS-CoV-2 respiratory infection may correlate with worsening pneumonia itself, it may also mask a pulmonary embolism. We report the case of a 50-year-old man affected by SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, who developed acute pulmonary embolism.
| S-EPMC7260472 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Recent reports have suggested an increased risk of pulmonary embolism (PE) related to COVID-19. The aim of this cohort study is to compare the incidence of PE during a 3-year period and to assess the characteristics of PE in COVID-19. We studied consecutive patients presenting with PE (January 2017–April 2020). Clinical presentation, computed tomography (CT) and biological markers were systematically assessed. We recorded the global number of hospitalizations during the COVID-19 pandemic and during the same period in 2018-2019. We included 347 patients: 326 without COVID-19 and 21 with COVID-19. Patients with COVID-19 experienced more likely dyspnea (p=0.04), had lower arterial oxygen saturation (p<0.001), higher C-reactive protein and white blood cell (WBC) count (p<0.0001 and p=0.001, respectively), and a significantly higher in-hospital mortality (14% versus 3.4%, p=0.04). Among COVID-19 patients, diagnosis of PE was performed at admission in 38% (n=8). COVID-19 patients with diagnosis of PE during hospitalization (n=13) had significantly more dyspnea (p=0.04), lower arterial oxygen saturation (p=0.01), less proximal PE (p=0.02), and higher heart rate (p=0.009), CT severity score (p=0.001), C-reactive protein (p=0.006) and WBC count (p=0.04). During the COVID-19 outbreak, a 97.4% increase of PE incidence was observed as compared to 2017–2019 and the proportion of hospitalizations related to PE was 3.7% versus 1.3% in 2018–2019 (p<0.0001). In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic leads to a dramatic increased incidence of PE. Physicians should be aware that PE may be diagnosed at admission, but also after several days of hospitalization, with a different clinical, CT and biological features of thrombotic disease. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s11239-020-02292-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
| S-EPMC7538189 | biostudies-literature