Gastrointestinal perforation secondary to COVID-19: Case reports and literature review.

INTRODUCTION: Corona virus disease-2019 (COVID-19) presents primarily with respiratory symptoms. However, extra respiratory manifestations are being frequently recognized including gastrointestinal involvement. The most common gastrointestinal symptoms are nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Gastrointestinal perforation in association with COVID-19 is rarely reported in the literature. PATIENT CONCERNS AND DIAGNOSIS: In this series, we are reporting 3 cases with different presentations of gastrointestinal perforation in the setting of COVID-19. Two patients were admitted with critical COVID-19 pneumonia, both required intensive care, intubation and mechanical ventilation. The first one was an elderly gentleman who had difficult weaning from mechanical ventilation and required tracheostomy. During his stay in intensive care unit, he developed Candidemia without clear source. After transfer to the ward, he developed lower gastrointestinal bleeding and found by imaging to have sealed perforated cecal mass with radiological signs of peritonitis. The second one was an obese young gentleman who was found incidentally to have air under diaphragm. Computed tomography showed severe pneumoperitoneum with cecal and gastric wall perforation. The third case was an elderly gentleman who presented with severe COVID-19 pneumonia along with symptoms and signs of acute abdomen who was confirmed by imaging to have sigmoid diverticulitis with perforation and abscess collection. INTERVENTIONS: The first 2 cases were treated conservatively. The third one was treated surgically. OUTCOME: Our cases had a variable hospital course but fortunately all were discharged in a good clinical condition. CONCLUSION: Our aim from this series is to highlight this fatal complication to clinicians in order to enrich our understanding of this pandemic and as a result improve patients' outcome.

Atraumatic spontaneous splenic rupture in a female COVID-19 patient.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), an infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has severely ravaged the world since the end of 2019. Although most cases range from mild to severe with primarily respiratory symptoms, there have been some unusual clinical presentations, one of which is described in this case report. A 30 year-old woman with no significant medical history presented to the emergency department (ED) in October 2020 with sudden onset of severe left upper and lower abdominal pain. Her initial triaged blood pressure was 70 mmHg systolic, associated with mild tachycardia. Her beta human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) was negative, and her initial hemoglobin was 9.3 g/dL. A bedside ultrasound (US) was immediately performed, which showed moderate free fluid in the pelvis as well as in the right and left upper quadrants of the abdomen. She was stabilized with a fluid bolus and later underwent a CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis, which showed an apparent grade III splenic laceration without active extravasation. The patient underwent a successful embolization procedure by interventional radiology (IR) and was discharged from the hospital 2 days later. The initial medical workup included a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) COVID-19 test but included no other findings that could serve as a cause for her spleen to spontaneously rupture. The purpose of this case report is to illustrate and make other clinicians aware of unusual potential complications and clinical presentations of COVID-19. The condition of spontaneous splenic rupture (SSR) is an uncommon but an emergent differential diagnosis in an otherwise healthy person with potential drastic outcomes. A careful approach in the management and care of these patients is warranted. This is one of a handful of case reports on SSR secondary to COVID-19 to the best of our knowledge.

Spontaneous Massive Pneumomediastinum in a Previously Well Infant With COVID-19.

A 3-month-old boy presented with a 3-hour history of a neck lump and difficulty breathing after 5 days of fever and reduced feeding. Pneumomediastinum with subcutaneous emphysema were identified, and the child was intubated because of severe work of breathing, requiring significant levels of oxygen and ventilatory pressure. Computed tomography chest scan revealed massive pneumomediastinum and significant bilateral parenchymal disease. The child deteriorated cardiovascularly, so the mediastinum was dissected by cardiothoracic surgeons and 2 drains were placed. The patient clinically improved with resolution of air leak over 2 days. A diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia was confirmed.

Acute tracheal tear - A potential cause of spontaneous pneumomediastinum in patients with COVID-19.

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum following prolonged periods of severe coughing should raise the suspicion of tracheal rupture in COVID-19 patients.

Increase rate of ruptured tubal ectopic pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic there was a decrease in emergency room arrivals. There is limited evidence about the effect of this change in behavior on women's health. We aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diagnosis, treatment and complications of women presenting with a tubal Ectopic Pregnancy (EP). STUDY DESIGN: This is a single centre retrospective cohort study. We compared the clinical presentation, treatment modalities and complications of all women presenting in our institution with a tubal EP during the COVID-19 pandemic between 15 March and 15 June 2020, with women who were treated in our institution with the same diagnosis in the corresponding period for the years 2018-2019. RESULTS: The study group included 19 cases of EP (N = 19) that were treated between the 15 March 2020 and 15 June 2020. The control group included 30 cases of EP (N = 30) that were admitted to in the corresponding period during 2018 and 2019. Maternal age, parity, gravity and mode of conception (natural vs. assisted) were similar between the two groups. There was no difference in the mean gestational age (GA) according to the last menstrual period. In the study group more women presented with sonographic evaluation of high fluid volume in the abdomen than in the control group (53 % vs 17 %, P value 0.01). This finding is correlated with a more advanced disease status. In the study group there was a highly statistically significant 3-fold increase in rupture among cases (P < 0.005) and a 4-fold larger volume of blood in the entrance to the abdomen (P < 0.002). We found that there were no cases of ruptured EP in the group of women who were pregnant after assisted reproduction. CONCLUSION: We found a higher rate of ruptured ectopic pregnancies in our institution during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health care providers should be alerted to this collateral damage in the non-infected population during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Delayed presentation of ectopic pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic: A retrospective study of a collateral effect.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the rates of overall diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy (EP), treatment modality and associated complications during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the exact time period in the previous year (pre-COVID-19). METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at a single referral regional center (Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel). Prevalence of the diagnosis of EP, treatment modality and associated complications during the COVID-19 lockdown period in the state of Israel (March 10-May 12, 2020) was compared to patients receiving the same diagnosis during the parallel timeframe in the previous year (2019). RESULTS: Overall there were 29 and 43 cases of EP during the COVID-19 and pre COVID-19 epoch, respectively. COVID-19 period patients presented to the emergency room with significantly higher ß-human chorionic gonadotrophin level; median of 1364 versus 633 IU, P = 0.001. The rate of ruptured EP was; 20.7% versus 4.3% P = 0.031, and surgical approach; 55.2% versus 27.9%, P = 0.001. Significantly higher median volume of blood loss; median volume 852 versus 300 ml, P = 0.042 were observed in patients during the COVID-19 epoch. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic led to delayed presentation of patients with EP, and the requirement of subsequent emergency surgical management and excessive blood loss. Special attention should be given to the decline in routine medical care during the pandemic.

Role of vitamin D in the pathogenesis of atheromatosis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death worldwide, but the collective efforts to prevent this pathological condition are directed exclusively to individuals at higher risk due to hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, obesity, diabetes. Recently, vitamin D deficiency was identified as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in healthy people, as it predisposes to different vascular dysfunctions that can result in plaque development and fragility. In this scenario, the fundamental aim of the study was to reproduce a disease model inducing vitamin D deficiency and atheromatosis in ApoE-/- mice and then to evaluate the impact of this vitamin D status on the onset/progression of atheromatosis, focusing on plaque formation and instability. METHODS AND RESULTS: In our murine disease model, vitamin D deficiency was achieved by 3 weeks of vitamin D deficient diet along with intraperitoneal paricalcitol injections, while atheromatosis by western-type diet administration. Under these experimental conditions, vitamin D deficient mice developed more unstable atheromatous plaques with reduced or absent fibrotic cap. Since calcium and phosphorus metabolism and also cholesterol and triglycerides systemic concentration were not affected by vitamin D level, our results highlighted the role of vitamin D deficiency in the formation/instability of atheromatous plaque and, although further studies are needed, suggested a possible intervention with vitamin D to prevent or delay the atheromatous disease. CONCLUSIONS: The data obtained open the question about the potential role of the vitamins in the pharmacological treatments of cardiovascular disorders as coadjutant of the primary drugs used for these pathologies.

The presentation of spontaneous splenic rupture in a COVID-19 patient: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Splenic rupture is an emergency condition and a vast number of cases are secondary to trauma. Several underlying pathologies have also been associated with splenic rupture, such as hematological diseases, malignancies, and infectious and inflammatory diseases. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient was a 52-year-old man who referred to the Poursina Hospital in Rasht while complaining of abdominal pain from the day before hospitalization. The patient reported a history of lethargy, fever, and nausea. In the examinations performed, there was a brief tenderness in the patient's epigastrium. The patient was monitored and about 12 h after hospitalization, ill appearance, respiratory (respiratory distress) symptoms, and high fever were reported for the patient. According to the examination, the patient was immediately transferred to the operating room and underwent laparotomy. During the operation, contrary to our expectations, a lot of blood (about 1000 cc) was observed in the patient's abdomen. After blood suctioning, the left upper quadrant (LUQ) was bleeding and the rupture of the spleen could also be observed. Therefore, a splenectomy was performed. In the examinations performed for the patient, the patient's rtPCR test confirmed COVID-19. CONCLUSION: The evaluation of the spontaneous splenic rupture (SSR) in our case shows that this type of risk should also be considered in patients with COVID-19 who refer to medical centers with abdominal pain, and if more cases are reported, the correctness of this process can be commented on.