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Cureus
. 2021 Aug 21;13(8):e17351.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.17351. eCollection 2021 Aug.
Hypercoagulability Due to COVID-19 Leading to Impending Phlegmasia Cerulea Dolens and Sub-Massive Bilateral Pulmonary Embolism
Bruno Moraes 1 , Amir Hashemi 1 , Kevin Mancheno 2 , Manuel ObanDo 1 , Erin Marra 1
Affiliations
- PMID: 34567892
- PMCID: PMC8451714
- DOI: 10.7759/cureus.17351
Abstract
This is a case report of a 47-year-old male with a history of hypertension and pre-diabetes who presented to the emergency department with dyspnea, progressive unilateral leg swelling and pain. The patient tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection about a week earlier. The patient was found to have an extensive clot burden of his lower extremity veins, both deep and superficial, which extended to his inferior vena cava (IVC). Based on the patient's clinical exam and ultrasound findings, the patient was diagnosed with impending phlegmasia cerulea dolens. Due to his renal failure, the patient was taken for a ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) scan which found widespread V/Q mismatch highly suggestive of pulmonary embolism. Interventional radiology took the patient for lower extremity venogram, catheter-directed alteplase administration, and IVC filter placement. The patient was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for further management and had a stable recovery.
Keywords: covid-19; covid-related hypercoagulability; d dimer; deep vein thrombosis (dvt); hyper coagulable state; inferior vena cava thrombus; interventional radiology guided embolization; ivc filters; phlegmasia cerulea dolens; submassive pulmonary embolism.