SARS-CoV-2 has proven its versatility in host presentations; one such presentation is a hypercoagulable state causing large-vessel thrombosis. We report a case on a previously asymptomatic COVID-19-positive patient presenting with an acute ischaemic stroke and an incidental left internal carotid artery thrombus. The patient’s medical, social and family history and hypercoagulability screening excluded any other explanation for the left carotid thrombus or stroke, except for testing positive for the COVID-19. This case explores the known hypercoagulable state associated with COVID-19 and the effect of the virus on the host’s immune response. It also questions whether administration of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), according to the American Heart Association guidelines, following a negative head CT for haemorrhagic stroke is safe without prior extended imaging in this patient population. We recommend, in addition to obtaining a non-contrast CT scan of the brain, a CT angiogram or carotid duplex of the neck be obtained routinely in patients with COVID-19 exhibiting stroke symptoms before t-PA administration as the effects may be detrimental. This recommendation will likely prevent fragmentation and embolisation of an undetected carotid thrombus.

Methemoglobinemia is a rare complication in clinical practice. It is most commonly seen in patients undergoing endoscopic procedures, including EGDs, laryngoscopies, bronchoscopies, and nasogastric tube insertions. This is thought to be a disease seen almost exclusively in patients with genetic predispositions to develop it; the increasing use of topical anesthetics during procedures has made methemoglobinemia a disease entity that every clinical provider should be able to recognize and treat. Clinically, patients become cyanotic with mild oxygen derangements on pulse oximetry, in the range of 84 to 90%. Paradoxically, these patients demonstrate normal to supranormal oxygen levels in the blood on blood gas analysis. We report a case of 34-year-old female postoperative Roux-en-Y gastric bypass patient who developed hypoxia and cyanosis after a routine EGD procedure to relieve a food impaction. Differentials of aspiration and pulmonary embolism were plausible; stat blood gas analysis clinched the diagnosis and managed with intravenous methylene blue.

A retained intra-abdominal foreign body is a common occurrence that is frequently underreported due to its medicolegal implications. Sponges, gauzes, surgical instruments, abdominal drains, etc. have been reported in the literature. The most common presentation for a retained intra-abdominal foreign body is postoperative abdominal infections or bleeding, frequently seen in the immediate postoperative period. Most of these foreign bodies are removed by exploratory laparotomy owing to recent abdominal surgeries or presentation as complicated abdominal masses. Here, we report a case with retained intra-abdominal drains for 15 years with minimal symptoms presenting as an intermittent abdominal pain; the drains were removed using laparoscopic intervention.