Thrombus in Transit on Point-of-Care Ultrasound in COVID-19 Pneumonia: A Cause of Refractory Hypoxia Requiring Systemic Thrombolysis

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is predominantly a pulmonary disease due to infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with underlying systemic involvement associated with coagulopathy. The reported number of events of venous thromboembolism and refractory hypoxia remains high despite being maintained on prophylactic or therapeutic doses of anticoagulation in patients with a high clinical indication, which has shown a reduction in mortality otherwise. This report is of a case of severe COVID-19 pneumonia in a 37-year-old Hispanic man who developed coagulopathy with left popliteal vein thrombosis and subsequently a right ventricle thrombus in transit diagnosed by point-of-care ultrasound requiring systemic thrombolysis. Although patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia are routinely given therapeutic anticoagulants, this case has shown that monitoring acute thrombotic events, D-dimer levels, and the presence of refractory hypoxia may indicate a thrombotic event that requires further intervention. This report has demonstrated the value of point-of-care ultrasound in the diagnosis of thromboembolism and venous thrombosis in a patient with severe COVID-19 pneumonia.