A 75-year-old male presented at our emergency department with painful swelling of his left leg for 12 hours without prior trauma history (). He also complained of numbness and weakness of the left lower leg and foot. His medical history was notable for hypertension and hyperlipidemia. On physical examination, the entire leg showed purplish discolorization and left femoral and dorsalis pedis artery pulses were detectable by hand-held Doppler. Duplex ultrasound (DUS) revealed left ilio-femoro-popliteal DVT (). Intravenous heparin was immediately administered and an emergent venous thrombectomy was performed under local anesthesia (), which provided pain relief. The next day, the left leg color was normalized () and motor and sensory defects were fully recovered. Anticoagulation therapy was prescribed for 6 months and follow-up computed tomography (CT) at 6 months revealed no residual thrombus ().
A 64-year-old man with a history of obesity (BMI 38 Kg/m^2), arterial hypertension, atrial fibrillation, type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, obstructive sleep apnea, and chronic venous insufficiency presented to the Emergency Department complaining of dyspnea, fever, and chest pain which started 7 days before. The patient was hypoxemic in room air (SpO2 80% and PaO2 43 mmHg). Inferior limbs appeared normal. A molecular swab formalized diagnosis of SARS-CoV2-related pneumonia. Respiratory distress progressed despite non-invasive-ventilation and hemodynamic instability requiring vasoactive support ensued. The patient was intubated and transferred to the ICU. The patient received invasive protective ventilation and hemodynamic support with noradrenaline. Gas exchange progressively worsened to a PaO2/FiO2 ratio of 70 mmHg. He developed a shock, and his lower limbs started to appear mottled. Lung and cardiac ultrasound were compatible with severe interstitial pneumonia and with no signs of pressure overload of the right heart. His coagulation profile was highly altered, as both aPTT and INR were elevated (respectively 2.28 seconds and 6.42), platelets were 164,000/mm3, and D-dimer was 117,521 UI/ml. Coagulation parameters continually worsened (), and treatment with one unit of fresh frozen plasma and vitamin K was required. Inferior limbs’ color progressively worsened, becoming frankly cyanotic, while pulses were still normal. Doppler ultrasound showed bilateral thrombosis of tibial and small saphenous veins. A continuous infusion of iloprost was started, as PCD was suspected (). Continuous infusion of unfractionated heparin was instituted, at a dose of 500-1000 IU per hour, according to aPTT, as well as continuous veno-venous hemodiafiltration as the patient developed acute kidney injury. The patient’s general conditions worsened (), and despite maximal treatment, he passed away after eight days of ICU care.