The Role of Anticoagulation in Post-COVID-19 Concomitant Stroke, Myocardial Infarction, and Left Ventricular Thrombus: A Case Report.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) primarily affects the lungs but can involve any organ. The medical community is struggling to cope with the critical illness associated with the disease. On top of that, patients who have recovered from COVID-19 have presented with complications such as thrombotic episodes in various organs both during and after being infected with SARS-CoV-2. A COVID-19-associated prothrombotic state has been mentioned in multiple recent research articles. The role of anticoagulants is debatable, because even after receiving them prophylactically, many patients have experienced thrombotic episodes. The situation, therefore, represents a challenge to the medical community. CASE REPORT We report on a COVID-19-associated prothrombotic state in a 65-year-old man with no history of comorbid illness. Initially, he presented with right-sided weakness and was found to have had an acute ischemic stroke. Urgent imaging after the stroke revealed changes on electrocardiography that were remarkable for left bundle branch block. The patient's elevated cardiac enzyme levels correlated with a silent acute myocardial infarction (MI). His echocardiogram revealed a left ventricular (LV) thrombus. He was managed with a multidisciplinary approach involving Neurology, Cardiology, and Medicine. CONCLUSIONS COVID-19-associated prothrombotic episodes involving arterial and venous systems have been reported in the literature. But concomitant stroke, acute MI, and LV thrombus rarely have been documented. The role of prophylactic or therapeutic anticoagulation is still unclear because even when patients are on these drugs, they continue to develop thrombotic episodes. Indeed, further studies are required to develop a standard management plan for what can be a fatal situation.