COVID-19 association with purpura fulminans: report of a life threatening complication in a fully vaccinated patient

Vladislav Pavlovich Zhitny; Mitchell Lyons; Andrea Perloff; John Menezes; Ashley Pistorio; Richard Baynosa

doi:10.1093/jscr/rjac095

COVID-19 association with purpura fulminans: report of a life threatening complication in a fully vaccinated patient

J Surg Case Rep. 2022 Mar 26;2022(3):rjac095. doi: 10.1093/jscr/rjac095. eCollection 2022 Mar.

Authors

Vladislav Pavlovich Zhitny¹, Mitchell Lyons², Andrea Perloff², John Menezes², Ashley Pistorio², Richard Baynosa²

Affiliations

¹ Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA.
² Department of Plastic Surgery, Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA.

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 manifestations have been an ongoing evolving topic that has spread beyond its initial respiratory associations. Recently, there have been reports of COVID-19 infections found to be associated with vascular pathologies. Here, we describe a case of a fully vaccinated COVID-19 adult male with past medical history of purpura fulminans that presented with diffuse necrotic cutaneous tissue sequelae resulting in intensive care unit management and dry gangrene of upper extremity. On admission, it was found that the patient had decreased activity rather than quantity of coagulation pathway protein S. Early recognition and work up are essential in patients with known history of vascular disease and confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 positive polymerase chain reaction.

Keywords: COVID-19; hand surgery; plastic surgery; purpura fulminans.

Publication types

Case Reports