Outcomes of Open Surgery for Retroperitoneal Hematoma in Covid-19 Patients: Experience from a Single Centre.

Background: Spontaneous retroperitoneal hematoma is a severe and potentially fatal complication that appears in the course of anticoagulation therapy. Therapeutic doses of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) are used for the prevention of thrombosis in patients seriously ill with Covid-19. Methods: We describe 27 (0.14%) patients with retroperitoneal hematomas who required emergency surgery out of 19108 patients with Covid-19 who were hospitalized in Batajnica COVID Hospital between March 2021 and March 2022. All the patients were on therapeutic doses of LMWH. The existence of retroperitoneal hematoma was confirmed by abdominal ultrasound and computed tomography scans. Results: Open surgery was performed on 27 patients with spontaneous retroperitoneal hematomas (12 female and 15 male). The mean age of the study population was 71.6+-11.9 years. D-dimer was significantly elevated two days before the surgery in comparison with the values on the day of surgery (p=0.011). Six patients (22.23%) survived, while 21 (77.77%) patients died. Conclusion: Bleeding in Covid-19 patients treated by LMWH is associated with an increased risk of developing retroperitoneal hematoma. Open surgery for retroperitoneal hematoma in Covid-19 patients on anticoagulation therapy is a procedure associated with a high rate of mortality.

Risk Factors in the Development of Rectus Sheath Hematoma and Treatment Modalities.

Background: In this study,we aim to present the clinical features of patients with rectus sheath hematoma(RSH), as well as the condition's therapeutic management and results. Methods: The study included patients who were diagnosed with and received treatment for spontaneous RSH between the years 2010 and 2020. The demographic and clinical features of the patients, as well as follow-up parameters, were analyzed retrospectively. Results: Our study included 53 patients. The number of female patients was twice as many as the number of male patients. The median age was 65.7 +-14.68 years, and 63.3% of the patients were over the age of 65. The most frequently used anticoagulant was warfarin (30.1%), and it was most often used for heart diseases (54.7%). The international normalized ratio value at the time of admission to the hospital was 1.93+1.18, and the hemoglobin value was 11.2 gr/dl. The average hematoma diameter was 74 mm, and the most common stage was typeI (75.6%). Of the patients, 90.6% were followed up conservatively. The average duration of hospital stay was 15.1 days, and mortality occurred in eight patients during their hospital stay. Conclusion: Spontaneous RSH should be consideredfor elderly female patients who have used anticoagulants. Most patients are followed up medically, but mortality is still high.