Acute Aortic Syndrome in a patient with COVID-19

Abstract

The global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic make it of the utmost importance to comprehend its mechanisms and define strategies for the most effective approach possible. The SARS-CoV-2 virus can be responsible for the induction of a hypercoagulable state, which can trigger vascular phenomena of venous etiology, specifically deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism. Arterial thrombotic events associated with COVID-19 have also been described in the medical literature, although less frequently. In this paper the authors report the case of a 66-year-old man who was diagnosed with an Acute Aortic Syndrome, specifically an intramural thrombus on the aortic arch, while he was still infected with the virus. Anticoagulation with low weight molecular heparin was initiated and the patient was admitted at the Internal Medicine ward for a conservative therapeutic approach. The thrombus remained stable on a serial imaging evaluation; therefore, the patient was discharged with oral anticoagulation with subsequent follow-up in the outpatient clinic. This case describes a rare and potentially serious complication of COVID-19, which highlights how broad its clinical spectrum can be, affecting systems other than the pulmonary.