Three cases of fatal postoperative thromboembolic complications in patients with liver cirrhosis and bleeding from esophageal varicose veins after COVID-19

Abstract

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which broke out in China and caused a devastating pandemic worldwide, is associated with a significantly increased risk of thrombotic complications, especially pulmonary embolism. During the COVID-19 pandemic, investigations have reported a high incidence of venous thromboembolic (VTE) events in hospitalized patients with COVID-19, often despite thromboprophylaxis. Current recommendations for thromboprophylaxis are based on randomized clinical trials, which usually exclude patients at а potentially high risk of hemorrhagic complications. This category includes patients with liver cirrhosis complicated by variceal bleeding, thrombocytopenia, and coagulopathy. We present three patients who suffered severe covid pneumonia and were hospitalized with acute variceal bleeding, who developed fatal thromboembolic complications in the postoperative period.