Submassive Pulmonary Embolism in Mild COVID-19 Without Lung Infiltrates

Abstract

A 66-year-old man who had been diagnosed with mild coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) infection nine days prior presented to the emergency room with acute-onset chest pain and shortness of breath. Chest CT angiogram (CTA) revealed pulmonary emboli (PE) in the right and left pulmonary arteries with right heart strain; lung parenchyma showed no infiltrates. Although severe COVID-19 infection is associated with thrombotic complications, data regarding the occurrence of PE in mild cases of COVID-19 is scarce. However, even mild cases of COVID-19 are reported to have revealed lung infiltrates, particularly groundglass opacities, on imaging. The possibility of the lungs being the primary source of COVID-19-associated coagulopathy has been raised. We report an uncommon case of submassive PE occurring in mild COVID-19, without any associated lung infiltrates. This case indicates that mild COVID-19, without significant lung parenchymal involvement, can also cause a hypercoagulable state, resulting in venous thromboembolism (VTE).