Rectus sheath hematoma and abscess in a COVID-19 patient
Nobuyuki Kondoa Ryo Sunoharaa Ryo Yamamotoa Madoka Toyodab Shinsuke Hatorib Yasuto Jinna
aDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Hiratsuka Kyosai Hospital
bDepartment of General Surgery, Hiratsuka Kyosai Hospital
A 51-year-old woman had respiratory failure owing to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia and was treated using mechanical ventilation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Unfractionated heparin was initiated for the prophylaxis of thrombosis. Because her symptoms significantly improved, she was decannulated from ECMO and extubated. Five days after extubation, she complained of abdominal pain. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) revealed a hematoma and an abscess in the left rectus abdominis muscle. She was successfully treated with surgical drainage and antibiotics. The early diagnosis of bleeding complications through CECT is essential in severe COVID-19 patients who receive anticoagulant therapy.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Rectus sheath hematoma Rectus sheath abscess Anticoagulant therapy
Received 22 Oct 2021 / Accepted 17 Nov 2021
AJRS, 11(1): 21-24, 2022