Acute mesenteric ischemia as a complication of COVID-19 infection: a case report and review of the literature

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a major health problem worldwide. Vascular thrombosis is increasingly observed in COVID-19 patients. This complication seems to be due to coagulopathy and endothelial damage. In this paper, we report a COVID-19 patient with superior mesenteric artery thrombosis and review of 27 COVID-19 cases with acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI).

A 59-years old man with confirmed COVID-19 readmitted to the hospital due to abdominal pain and diarrhea two days after discharge from the emergency department. He was diagnosed with acute mesenteric ischemia by abdominal CT scan with contrast. The patient underwent emergency laparotomy and the ischemic gangrenous bowel was resected. Unfortunately, the patient succumbed one month after the operation.

AMI is a life-threatening thrombotic event rarely seen in COVID-19 patients, so it is vital to diagnose it. Anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory prophylactic therapies might be useful in preventing AMI, especially in the patients with thrombosis risk factor. So, it is crucial to reduce its incidence in COVID-19 patients.