Bronchial Artery Embolization Treatment During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Single-center Experience

Objective: Bronchial artery embolization (BAE) now serves as the standard treatment for hemoptysis. The aim of this study was to determine the characteristics and outcomes of the patients who undergo BAE during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic period. Methods: We retrospectively investigated patients that presented to the hospital with hemoptysis and received bronchial arterial embolization treatment during the pandemic period. Age, gender, history of previous diseases, and related data were collected. Results: The study was conducted with 11 patients whose 18.18% (n=2) were female and 81.81% (n=9) were male. The mean age of the patients is 61.27 +/- 10.94 and they stayed in hospital 21.18 +/- 19.59 days on average. Infection and bronchiectasis were seen as the leading cause of hemorhagee. Also, alveolar hemorrhage seen 81.8% (n=9) of the patients. Dilated bronchial arteries were seen on 72.7% (n=8) of the patients. Although 54.5% (n=6) of the patients admitted to the intensive care unit after the procedure, no complication or mortality seen in any patient during the procedure. Conclusion: Bronchial arterial embolization is an effective minimally invasive technique for treating hemoptysis. This invasive procedure could be applied safely during the pandemic period.

Rasmussen's Aneurysm - A fatal and rare complication in post COVID-19 pneumonia

Background: Post COVID -19 infection has wide range of presentation, cavitation and fungal infections were very common in these patients especially when they are immune compromised. This is a case study of a post covid patient with cavitary consolidation and Rasmussen's aneurysm secondary to invasive aspergillus infection. Case Study: A 62 year old gentleman, hypertensive, diabetic and survivor of severe COVID-19 infection presented with low grade fever, breathlessness and cough with expectoration. The CT scan showed bilateral cavitary consolidation . Sputum examination showed aspergillus growth and MTB negative. Serum galactomannan was positive. While getting treated with antifungal therapy for invasive aspergillus infection, he had one episode of massive haemoptysis. CT angiography showed Rasmussen aneurysm and planned for bronchial artery embolization. But the patient was not willing for any urgent intervention and got discharged on request after stabilisation, warning signs were explained. After 5 days patient had massive haemoptysis followed by circulatory collapse. Patient could not be saved even after resuscitation measures and emergency intubation. Discussion: Rasmussen's aneurysm is a pseudo-aneurysmal dilatation of a branch of pulmonary artery secondary to chronic inflammation in a contiguous cavity. The reported incidence of such pathology is around 5% in cavitary lesions. It may ruptures into the cavity, producing massive haemoptysis. Conclusion: Rasmussen aneurysm itself is a very dangerous entity irrespective of its etiology. Early interventions to prevent the fatal haemoptysis is the management strategy as conservative treatment may not give us enough time to act at the time of emergency.

Perspective: The Case for Acute Large Vessel Ischemic Stroke in COVID-19 Originating Within Thrombosed Pulmonary Venules.

The main burden of SARS-CoV-2 falls on the lungs but neurological manifestations, the most disabling of which are strokes and which correlate with disease severity, are common. We proffer a novel mechanism for acute COVID-19 stroke whereby pulmonary vein clots developing within the characteristic pulmonary intravascular thrombotic lesions can embolize to the brain. Appreciation of this mechanism requires an understanding of the tricompartmental model of lung parenchyma oxygenation (the alveolus, the bronchial artery, and the pulmonary artery), all of which are compromised in COVID-19. Of these 3 sources, the bronchial artery plays a crucial role in COVID-19 stroke because the unique collaterals from bronchial artery to pulmonary vein which exist under normal physiological conditions (and which maintain venous patency when the pulmonary artery is blocked by embolus) are occluded, thus leading to venular thrombosis in the presence of hypercoagulability. Dislodgement of clots from this source translocates the pathology to the brain and is a disease mechanism, formerly rare, which may account for many cases of large vessel occlusion stroke in COVID-19. This mechanism extends the concept of cardioembolic stroke from endocardium retrogradely into the pulmonary circulation with which the left cardiac chambers lie in direct continuity, and which is an accepted stroke mechanism under other circumstances such as lung lobectomy, where surgical ligation of the pulmonary vein creates a blind sac from which thrombi can embolize. The proposed model is supported by postmortem studies which have demonstrated venular thrombosis and by case reports of pulmonary vein thrombosis in COVID-19. This concept provides a more plausible cause for COVID-19 associated large vessel occlusion stroke than other putative mechanisms, such as cerebral endotheliitis, cytokine storm, and hypercoagulopathy, although it is acknowledged that the latter mechanism contributes to the genesis of pulmonary vein clots. Recognizing that extrapulmonary manifestations including stroke arise within thrombosed pulmonary veins is key to understanding of neurological manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Bronchial artery embolization for hemoptysis in a postpartum patient via cesarean section with COVID-19 while on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Although COVID-19 coagulopathy typically manifests with thrombotic complications, hemorrhagic complications also occur and must be considered when making decisions about anticoagulation in these patients. Here, we report a case of massive hemoptysis occurring in a recently post-partum woman via Cesarean section with COVID-19 who was managed via bronchial artery embolization while on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Massive hemoptysis two months after an otherwise mild SARS-CoV-2 disease (COVID-19) treated with bronchial artery embolization - A case report.

An otherwise healthy young man presented with massive hemoptysis 2 month following a mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and with no other identifiable cause of illness. The patient was successfully treated with bronchial artery embolization. We are strongly convinced that hemoptysis in this case was COVID-related. This unusual case of delayed COVID-related hemoptysis reveals new aspects in the understanding of mid-term and presumable auto-immune triggered effects in patients with initially only mild symptoms of the disease.

Haemoptysis treated by bronchial artery embolisation in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2: case report.

BACKGROUND: We found no data in the literature on the embolization of the bronchial arteries in the context of hemoptysis associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. We therefore decided to share this experience. CASE PRESENTATION: A 62-year-old patient with no significant medical history was admitted with acute respiratory distress. Chest computed tomography showed diffuse bilateral ground-glass opacities with limited consolidations. Diagnostic tests confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. The severity of respiratory failure required the implantation of veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The patient developed severe haemoptysis, which was successfully treated by bronchial artery embolisation. CONCLUSIONS: In the case of coronavirus-19 pneumonia, our experience suggests that the treatment of severe haemoptysis by bronchial artery embolisation is feasible and effective. The survival benefit should be assessed in the future.