COVID-19 Complicated by Massive Acute Pulmonary Embolism: A Case Report

COVID-19 is an emerging disease that has been spread all over the world. Not all the dimensions and manifestations of the disease have yet been fully explored. One such manifestation is vascular thrombosis that occurs in the lungs and other vessels. However, it is often ignored or mistaken for pulmonary manifestations. Herein, we presented a case with dominant pulmonary embolism manifestations. The COVID-19 symptoms were detected in the patient a few days after heart surgery, and he was appropriately treated and discharged.

The patient was a 62-year-old man visiting with the signs and symptoms of pulmonary embolism. In the CT-angiography, massive pulmonary embolism was reported in the right and left pulmonary arteries of the patient. Moreover, the patient’s echocardiogram showed a clot in the right ventricle in addition to severe right ventricular dysfunction. The patient underwent emergency heart surgery to remove the clot. In the 3 - 4 postoperative days, the pulmonary manifestations of COVID-19 emerged. The throat swab test was positive for COVID-19, and the patient received treatment. After receiving appropriate treatments for about two weeks, the patient was discharged with good general health.

The presented case had the primary pulmonary embolism symptoms. However, in the 2 - 3 postoperative days, he showed the COVID-19 symptoms and received treatment. Pulmonary embolism can be a manifestation of COVID-19.