Right Atrial Thrombus and Submassive Pulmonary Embolism in a COVID-19-Infected Patient: A Case Report

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is primarily a respiratory infection, but it undoubtedly results in systemic illness that affects multiple systems. The high incidence of thromboembolic events is one distinctive clinical characteristic of COVID-19. This case report is about a unique clinical presentation of a 40-year-old homeless female with polysubstance abuse, who was diagnosed with a right atrial thrombus, sub-massive pulmonary embolism, and COVID-19 infection. The patient presented with shortness of breath, subjective fevers, generalized swelling, and chest and upper abdominal pain. Initially, she was treated with tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) and heparin drip for her thrombi, and she was managed conservatively when hemoptysis ensued post-TPA. She was later sent to a higher level of care for surgical embolectomy. In most cases, severe pulmonary parenchymal disease secondary to COVID-19 correlates with the severity of thromboembolic complications, however, in our case report, there was a right atrial thrombus and pulmonary embolism in the absence of COVID pneumonia. This highlights how notorious COVID-19 infections can be.