Acute Necrotizing Pancreatitis in COVID-19 Disease: A Case Report

ABSTRACT

Aims and objectives: Gastrointestinal symptoms like abdominal pain can be atypical presentations associated with coronavirus disease. This case report describes the presentation of acute pancreatitis in a patient with moderate COVID-19 infection. Materials and methods: Data were collected from a patient who was admitted with acute pancreatitis as sequelae of COVID-19 infection in our intensive care unit in June 2021. Case presentation A 25-year-old female with no comorbidities presented to our emergency department with complaints of fever and dry cough for 10 days for which she had taken treatment at home. COVID RTPCR was negative and CT severity was 10/25. She also complained of abdominal pain with vomiting for 2 days. So she was admitted to our hospital on the tenth day of her illness. Laboratory analysis showed >3 times elevation of serum lipase. CT abdomen showed acute pancreatitis with gallbladder sludge. Causes of pancreatitis like gallbladder stones, alcohol, hypercalcemia, and hypertriglyceridemia were excluded by history and investigations. She was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis due to COVID-19. C-reactive protein and D dimer was highly elevated. She was admitted in ICU and was started on conservative management with IV fluids and bowel rest. Oral intake was resumed gradually as tolerated. The patient was maintaining adequate oxygen saturation on room air. Her repeat COVID RTPCR was again negative. However, her CT severity had increased to 14/25. Her total antibody SARS-CoV-2 was highly reactive. She had severe pain which was not improving despite multimodal analgesia which included opioid infusion. She had bilateral minimal pleural effusion and consolidation and required 2-4 L oxygen support. Repeat CT abdomen after a week showed acute necrotizing pancreatitis with gross pancreatic ascites and partial splenic vein thrombosis (modified CT severity index 8). On day 7 of admission, she developed a fever. Blood and urine cultures were sent and empirical antibiotic was started. Urine culture showed Klebsiella pneumoniae and antibiotic was escalated as per sensitivity pattern. Her pain scores persisted to be high despite all measures. On day 14, she developed abdominal distension. Intra-abdominal pressures were normal and repeat CT abdomen showed extensive free fluid with dilated bowel loops which was likely paralytic ileus. A CT-guided pigtail was inserted for continuous drainage of fluid. The ascitic fluid culture showed no organism. Her abdominal distension gradually reduced. We tapered the requirement of opioids day by day and she got symptomatically better. She could tolerate oral feeds better, off oxygen support, and was shifted to wards with pigtail catheter in situ. She stayed in ICU for 26 days. She was doing better in wards and was discharged home after 5 days with oral anticoagulant and other symptomatic medications and was adviced for gastroenterology follow-up after 10 days. Results: A patient was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis associated with SARS-CoV-2 and was treated accordingly. Other causes of acute pancreatitis were excluded in the patient including alcohol, biliary obstruction/gall stones, drugs, trauma, hypertriglyceridemia, hypercalcemia, and hypotension. Conclusion: This case highlights acute pancreatitis as a complication associated with COVID-19 and underlines the importance of evaluating and treating patients with COVID-19 and abdominal pain.