Mesenteric Ischemia: A Case of Extrapulmonary Presentation in COVID-19

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Annals of African Surgery

Abstract

Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) is a predominantly respiratory infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It creates a hypercoagulable milieu, manifesting at varied extrapulmonary sites as pulmonary embolism, deep venous thrombosis, stroke, myocardial infarction, and mesenteric ischemia. The pathophysiology behind this hypercoagulability is still not entirely understood, although a heightened systemic inflammatory response to the virus is deemed responsible. We herein report a case of a 36-year-old healthy male who presented with an acute abdomen and was found to have extensive mesenteric and portal venous thrombosis with bowel gangrene. The patient underwent emergency exploration with ileal resection and end-ileostomy. The hypercoagulability panel was negative, but a postoperative chest radiograph revealed suspicious ground-glass opacities. Given the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, we considered testing for SARSCoV-2. A positive test for SARS-CoV-2 led us to attribute the thrombotic event to COVID-19. With anticoagulation and supportive therapy, the patient went on to make a steady recovery. A non-specific clinical manifestation of COVID-19 necessitates considering mesenteric venous thrombosis as a differential diagnosis in patients with acute abdomen.

First Page

32

Last Page

36

DOI

10.4314/aas.v20i1.6

Publication Date

1-1-2023

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS