Acute viral pneumonia, hypoxemic respiratory failure and severe inflammatory response are hallmarks of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The COVID-19-associated inflammatory state may further lead to symptomatic thromboembolic complications despite prophylaxis. We report a 66-year-old female patient with post-mortem diagnosis of COVID-19 who presented progressive livedo racemosa, acute renal failure and myocardial injury, as well as an absence of respiratory symptoms. Transthoracic echocardiography showed severe spontaneous echo contrast in the right cardiac chambers and right-sided cardiac overload presumed to result from pulmonary microvascular thrombosis or embolism. d-dimer levels were increased. The patient developed an acute ischemic stroke and died 2 days following presentation despite therapeutic anticoagulation. Her predominantly thromboembolic presentation supports the concept of coronavirus infection of endothelial cells and hypercoagulability, or COVID-19 endotheliitis. The case we report highlights that COVID-19-associated hyperacute multiorgan thromboembolic storm may precede or present disproportionately to respiratory involvement. Keywords COVID-19 • Thromboembolism • Spontaneous echo contrast Highlights • Thromboembolic complications of COVID-19 may precede respiratory symptoms. • Direct endothelial cell infection and hypercoagulability may cause COVID-19-associated thromboembolisms. • Multi-organ thromboembolisms may occur despite therapeutic anticoagulation. • Future studies should prospectively assess thromboembolic prophylaxis and treatments in COVID-19.
Purpose International partnerships have an important role in capacity building in global health, but frequently involve travel and its associated carbon footprint. The environmental impact of global health partnerships has not previously been quantified. Methods We conducted a retrospective internal audit of the environmental impact of air travel for the international education programs of the Canadian Anesthesiology Society’s International Education Fund (CASIEF). We compiled a comprehensive list of volunteer travel routes and used the International Civil Aviation Organization Carbon Emissions Calculator, which considers travel distance, passenger numbers, and average operational data for optimized estimates. Comparisons were made with average Canadian household emissions and disability adjusted life years (DALYs) lost from climate change consequences. Results The total carbon dioxide emitted (CO 2 -e) for the Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Guyana CASIEF partnerships were 268.2, 60.7, and 52.0 tons, respectively. The DALYs cost of these programs combined is estimated to be as high as 1.1 years of life lost due to the effects of CO 2 -e. The mean daily carbon cost of the average Rwanda partnership was equivalent to daily emissions of 2.2 Canadians (or 383 Rwandans), for the Guyana partnership was equivalent to 1.6 Canadians (or 7.6 Guyanese people), and for the Ethiopia partnership was equivalent to 2.4 Canadians (or 252 Ethiopian people). Conclusions Air travel from these CASIEF partnerships resulted in 380.9 tons CO 2 -e but also enabled 5,601 volunteer days-in-country since 2014. The estimated environmental cost needs to be balanced against the impact of the programs. Regardless, carbon-reduction remains a priority, whether by discouraging premium class travel, organizing longer trips to reduce daily emissions, prioritizing remote support and virtual education, or developing partnerships closer to home.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.