Deep vein thrombosis with pulmonary thromboembolism in a case of severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Issue 1 (15th January 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Devi, Sujata; Mohakud, Sudipta; Kar, Nilanjan; Muthuvel, Divya
• Is Part Of: BMJ case reports. Volume 14:Issue 1(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-01-15
• Subjects: venous thromboembolism -- COVID-19 -- radiology (diagnostics); Medicine -- Case studies -- Periodicals; 610.5
• DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2020-240932
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1757-790X

Abstract

Abstract : A 53-year-old man with diabetes came to the emergency department with fever and dry cough for 5 days, swelling of the left leg for 2 days, shortness of breath and chest pain for 1 hour. He had raised temperature, tachycardia, tachypnoea, reduced oxygen saturation and swollen tender left leg on examination. The frontal chest radiograph showed bilateral ground-glass opacities; he tested positive for COVID-19 with elevated D-dimer. The colour Doppler examination of the left leg revealed acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of the common femoral and the popliteal veins. The chest CT showed bilateral diffuse ground-glass opacities predominantly involving peripheral zones and the lower lobes. The CTPA revealed left pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE), treated with low-molecular-weight heparin. COVID-19 predominantly affects the respiratory system. DVT and PTE are common in COVID-19 but lethal. They should be diagnosed early by clinical and radiological examinations and treated promptly with anticoagulants.