COVID-19 is often seen presenting with a myriad of signs and symptoms of multiorgan dysfunction including arterial dissection. Various theories have been proposed such as endothelial dysfunction triggered by hyper-inflammatory response that results in rupture of atherosclerotic plaque and subsequent dissection. However, the exact incidence is unknown and only case reports and case series have been published till date. Here we carried out a systematic analysis of published case reports/series related to dissection of the aorta, coronary, cerebral, vertebral, cervical, renal, and splanchnic arteries.

Healthcare professionals monitoring vaccine-related adverse responses should be aware of COVID-19 vaccine-related acute respiratory distress syndrome to enable expeditious diagnosis and treatment. We report the first case of acute respiratory distress syndrome in a young pregnant woman, occurring immediately after a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT16B2b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine and requiring a brief period of mechanical ventilation, with a good response to a two-week steroid course. She had recovered from mild COVID-19 infection requiring home isolation nine months prior to the current vaccination dose. Without depreciating the colossal benefit of the COVID-19 vaccine, vaccine-related acute respiratory distress syndrome should be listed as a possible adverse reaction.