A rare case of renal infarction due to heroin and amphetamine abuse: case report

Background Renal infarctions as a result of recreational drug use are rare and are commonly associated with cocaine use. Although amphetamines have a similar mechanism of action as cocaine, there are few reports linking them to ischemic events, and only one to renal infarction. Similarly, few reports link heroin use with infarcts, but never in the kidney. Although uncommon, several mechanisms have been implicated in heroin and amphetamine-induced infarction, including vasculopathy, vasculitis and the activation of the coagulation cascade. Case Presentation 47-year-old female with a past medical history of non-intravenous heroin and amphetamine abuse, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemia presented with right lower extremity swelling and rash, which was diagnosed as cellulitis and treated appropriately. Incidentally, the patient was found to have an acute kidney injury and further workup identified multiple renal infarcts in the right kidney. The patient had no past medical history of clotting disorders. Blood culture and urine cultures were sterile; autoimmune and hypercoagulable workup were negative. Urinalysis was unremarkable. Urine toxicology was only positive for opiates and amphetamines, which were thought to be the most likely cause of the renal infarct. Patient was lost to outpatient follow up due to noncompliance, but returned to the hospital for re-emergence of her cellulitis, during which no new infarcts were discovered, and the previous renal infarct had scarred over. Conclusion There are very few reports of heroin and amphetamine-induced infarctions. This case report describes a rare but important complication of heroin/amphetamine abuse that could be easily overlooked.

Bilateral adrenal haemorrhage with renal infarction after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 AstraZeneca vaccination

Vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopaenia (VITT) is a rare syndrome associated with the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AstraZeneca) vaccine. We detail a case of vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopaenia in a 47-year-old female who was found to have bilateral adrenal haemorrhage, renal vein thrombosis, renal infarction and pulmonary embolism 13 days post-vaccination with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19.

Acute superior mesenteric artery occlusion associated with COVID-19 pneumonia: a case report

Background The novel 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which is caused by infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, has spread rapidly around the world and has caused many deaths. COVID-19 involves a systemic hypercoagulable state and arterial/venous thrombosis which induces unfavorable prognosis. Herein, we present a first case in East Asia where an acute superior mesenteric artery (SMA) occlusion associated with COVID-19 pneumonia was successfully treated by surgical intervention. Case presentation A 70-year-old man presented to his local physician with a 3-day history of cough and diarrhea. A real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction test showed positive for COVID-19, and he was admitted to the source hospital with the diagnosis of moderate COVID-19 pneumonia. Eight days later, acute onset of severe abdominal pain appeared with worsening respiratory condition. Contrast CT showed that bilateral lower lobe/middle lobe and lingula ground glass opacification with distribution suggestive of COVID-19 pneumonia and right renal infarction. In addition, it demonstrated SMA occlusion with intestinal ischemia suggesting extensive necrosis from the jejunum to the transverse colon. The patient underwent an emergency exploratory laparotomy with implementing institutional COVID-19 precaution guideline. Upon exploration, the intestine from jejunum at 100 cm from Treitz ligament to middle of transverse colon appeared necrotic. Necrotic bowel resection was performed with constructing jejunostomy and transverse colon mucous fistula. We performed second surgery to close the jejunostomy and transverse colon mucous fistula with end-to-end anastomosis on postoperative day 22. The postoperative course was uneventful and he moved to another hospital for rehabilitation to improve activities of daily living (ADLs) on postoperative day 45. As of 6 months after the surgery, his ADLs have completely improved and he has returned to social life without any intravenous nutritional supports. Conclusions Intensive treatment including surgical procedures allowed the patient with SMA occlusion in COVID-19 pneumonia to return to social life with completely independent ADLs. Although treatment for COVID-19 involves many challenges, including securing medical resources and controlling the spread of infection, when severe abdominal pain occurs in patients with COVID-19, physicians should consider SMA occlusion and treat promptly for life-saving from this deadly combination.

Isolated acute renal infarction in an obese patient

Background: Uncontrolled cardiovascular (CV) risk factors is been related to a higher incidence of atherosclerosis. Obesity itself could predispose to significant cardiac disease including arterial atheromatous leading to acute events. Case: A 46 years old obese patient who presented with left abdominal pain radiating to the left quadrant and left testicle. No significant abnormality was observed in the laboratories, but imaging showed left renal lower pole may be due to renal infarct (Figure 1), and CT-Angiography (CTA) of the abdomen showed infarction of the anterior two-thirds of the lower pole of the left kidney (Figure 2) secondary to occlusion of the supplying small inferior segmental artery and minimal atherosclerosis. Transthoracic Echocardiogram (TTE) showed a density in the LVOT may be artifact vs. calcification (Figure 3). A transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) showed Grade III atherosclerotic changes of descending aorta (Figure 4), aortic arch, and a mobile plaque seen in the thoracic aorta. Conclusion: Cardiovascular risk factors have been associated with multiple vascular complications. Obesity as a single cardiovascular risk factor is associated with advanced arterial disease; our case is an example of an unstable atheromatous lesion causing thrombosis and ischemia in the kidney in a patient without another risk factor for thrombosis.

Predictors of renal infarction in patients presenting to the emergency department with flank pain: A retrospective observational study

Objectives Flank pain is a common symptom in the emergency department and can be caused by a variety of diseases. Renal infarction (RI) is a very rare disease, and many RI patients complain of flank pain. However, there is no definitive predictor of RI when patients complain of flank pain. This study aimed to identify the clinical factors for predicting RI in patients with flank pain. Methods This retrospective single-center study was conducted on patients complaining of flank pain from January 2016 to March 2020 at a South Korean tertiary care hospital. Exclusion criteria included patients who did not undergo contrast-enhanced computed tomography, age < 18 years, and trauma. Demographic and laboratory data were obtained from medical records. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify predictors of RI occurrence. Results In all, 2,131 patients were enrolled, and 39 (1.8%) had RI. From a multivariable logistic regression analysis, an age ≥ 65 years (odds ratio [OR], 3.249; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.366–7.725; p = 0.008), male sex (OR, 2.846; 95% CI, 1.190–6.808; p = 0.019), atrial fibrillation (OR, 10.386; 95% CI, 3.724–28.961; p < 0.001), current smoker (OR, 10.022; 95% CI, 4.565–22.001; p < 0.001), and no hematuria (OR, 0.267; 95% CI, 0.114–0.628; p = 0.002) were significantly associated with the occurrence of RI. Conclusions Five clinical factors, i.e., age ≥ 65 years, male sex, atrial fibrillation, current smoker, and no hematuria, were significantly associated with the occurrence of RI in patients with flank pain.