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Case Reports: Unusual association of diseases/symptoms
Atraumatic splenic rupture associated with COVID-19
  1. Nils Smaadahl1,
  2. Fabienne Rüber2,
  3. Simon Bosbach1 and
  4. Franz Martig2
  1. 1Internal Medicine, Spital Tiefenau, Bern, Switzerland
  2. 2General Surgery, Spital Tiefenau, Bern, Switzerland
  1. Correspondence to Dr Simon Bosbach; simonjohannes.bosbach{at}spitaltiefenau.ch

Abstract

Atraumatic splenic rupture (ASR) is a rare but life-threatening condition. Several underlying pathologies have been associated with a splenic rupture in the absence of trauma, most often malignant-haematological disorders, viral infections or local inflammatory disorders. The management of ASR is similar to traumatic splenic rupture and includes early risk stratification of patients to determine those eligible for non-operative treatment versus those who need immediate surgical intervention. In this report, we discuss a rare case of a non-operatively managed ASR in an otherwise healthy young patient with SARS-CoV-2 as the likely aetiology. The multisystemic nature of the ongoing novel COVID-19 is evident, but not all manifestations are yet known. This case report underlines the challenge for physicians in terms of recognising and treating emergent complications of this new disease.

  • COVID-19
  • emergency medicine
  • general surgery
  • gastrointestinal surgery
  • vascular surgery

https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2022-253399

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors The following authors were responsible for drafting of the text, sourcing and editing of clinical images, investigation results, drawing original diagrams and algorithms, and critical revision for important intellectual content: NS and FR. The following authors gave final approval of the manuscript: NS, FR, SB and FM.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.