Cardioembolic Stroke in a Patient with Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) Myocarditis: A Case Report
James S Ford1, James F Holmes1, Russell F Jones1
1UC Davis Health, Department of Emergency Medicine, Sacramento, California.
Insights
This case study highlights a patient with COVID-19 related myocarditis who experienced a cardioembolic stroke. Further research is needed to explore anticoagulation for preventing clots in these patients.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Neurology
Background:
- Growing evidence links COVID-19 to cardiovascular issues and hypercoagulability.
- Limited data exists on the specific risk of venous or arterial thrombosis in COVID-19 patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report a case of cardioembolic stroke secondary to COVID-19 related myocarditis.
- To highlight the potential link between COVID-19, myocarditis, and thromboembolic events.
Main Methods:
- Case report detailing a single patient's experience.
- Diagnosis of COVID-19 confirmed by ribonucleic acid polymerase chain reaction assay.
- Cardioembolic stroke and myocarditis diagnosed using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and echocardiography.
Main Results:
- A patient with COVID-19 developed myocarditis.
- The patient subsequently suffered a cardioembolic stroke.
- Cardiac imaging confirmed myocarditis and suggested intracardiac thrombus formation.
Conclusions:
- COVID-19 related myocarditis may increase the risk of cardioembolic stroke.
- Further investigation into the hypercoagulable state in COVID-19 patients is warranted.
- Prophylactic anticoagulation may be considered to prevent intracardiac thrombi and cardioembolic events in patients with COVID-19 related myocarditis.
Introduction:
There is a growing body of literature detailing coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) cardiovascular complications and hypercoagulability, although little has been published on venous or arterial thrombosis risk.
Case Report:
In this report, we present a single case of cardioembolic stroke in the setting of COVID-19 related myocarditis, diagnosed via cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and echocardiography. COVID-19 infection was confirmed via a ribonucleic acid polymerase chain reaction assay.
Conclusion:
Further research is needed to evaluate the hypercoagulable state of patients with COVID-19 to determine whether prophylactic anticoagulation may be warranted to prevent intracardiac thrombi and cardioembolic disease in patients with COVID-19 related myocarditis.
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