Cor Vasa 2021, 63(5):588-591 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2021.001

An "ordinary" case of COVID-19 pneumonia: when symptoms hide serious complications

Francesco Messinaa, Marianna Gigliotti De Faziob, Claudia Morabitob, Roberto Licordarib, Cristina Procopio Mariab, Maurizio Mezzettic, Paolo Busaccac, Giuseppe Dattilob, Nicola Arcadia, Matteo Casalec
a Operative Unit of Radiology - G.O.M. Bianchi Melacrino Morelli, Reggio Calabria, Italy
b Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
c Hospital "S. Maria della Misericordia", Operative Unit of ICCU and Cardiology, ASUR Marche-Area Vasta 1, Urbino, Italy

COVID-19 pandemic changed quickly world's clinical picture. Symptoms often are sneaky, hiding dramatic clinical scenarios. A 52-year-old man was sent to the Emergency Department with persistent chest pain, dyspnea and hypoxia. He also complained of cough and fever (38 °C) since four days without clinical improvements by paracetamol. Nasopharyngeal swab was positive for SARS-CoV-2. High resolution computer tomography (HRCT) showed typical CT pattern of bilateral COVID-19 pneumonia. During hospital stay clinical worsening occurred and a CT pulmonary angiography revealed a bilateral massive acute pulmonary embolism. The patient was treated with unfractionated heparin.

Keywords: Chest computed tomography, COVID-19, Low molecular weight heparin, Pulmonary embolism, SARS-CoV-2

Received: December 6, 2020; Revised: December 6, 2020; Accepted: January 2, 2021; Published: October 20, 2021  Show citation

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Messina F, De Fazio MG, Morabito C, Licordari R, Maria CP, Mezzetti M, et al.. An "ordinary" case of COVID-19 pneumonia: when symptoms hide serious complications. Cor Vasa. 2021;63(5):588-591. doi: 10.33678/cor.2021.001.
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