COVID-19-associated ischaemic stroke despite use of anticoagulation

Shyam Sharma; Michael Wood; Giosue Gulli

doi:10.1136/bcr-2021-243741

COVID-19-associated ischaemic stroke despite use of anticoagulation

BMJ Case Rep. 2021 Jul 29;14(7):e243741. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2021-243741.

Authors

Shyam Sharma¹, Michael Wood², Giosue Gulli³

Affiliations

¹ The University of Edinburgh College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, Edinburgh, UK [email protected].
² Respiratory Department, Ashford and Saint Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust, Chertsey, UK.
³ Stroke Unit, Ashford and Saint Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust, Chertsey, UK.

Abstract

A 64-year-old female nurse was admitted to hospital following fever, cough, shortness of breath and low blood pressure. She tested positive for COVID-19 and was treated on a high-dependency unit and prescribed enoxaparin, a prophylactic anticoagulant. Eight days later, she suffered a left middle cerebral artery ischaemic stroke. Over the next 2 weeks, her condition fluctuated, eventually leading to her death. We report her case from clinical history to investigations and outcomes, and explore the potential link between coronavirus, the use of anticoagulation and ischaemic stroke.

Keywords: covid-19; stroke; warfarin therapy.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Anticoagulants / therapeutic use
Brain Ischemia* / drug therapy
COVID-19*
Female
Humans
Ischemic Stroke*
Middle Aged
SARS-CoV-2
Stroke* / drug therapy
Stroke* / etiology

Substances

Anticoagulants