A Case of Low-Flow Priapism as a Complication of COVID-19 Infection.

On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) (COVID-19) a pandemic. With a global incidence of over 414 million cases, as of 16 February 2022, it presents a significant burden on healthcare. COVID-19 is primarily considered a respiratory illness; however, a wide range of presentations have been reported including a tendency for thrombotic complications. We report a case of a 58-year-old man who presented with dyspnoea, pyrexia and dry cough. Upon admission, he was noted to be in a severe type 1 respiratory failure with bilateral pulmonary infiltrates suggestive of COVID-19 infection. Rapid transfer to intensive therapy unit (ITU) ensued with intubation and ventilation. The patient was noted to have developed priapism one day following admission with subsequent aspiration by the Urology team, achieving detumescence. Priapism is a state of persistent penile erection that continues for four hours beyond sexual stimulation. Our case highlights the role of thrombosis, dysregulation of the clotting cascade and acute disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) as shared pathologies in priapism and COVID-19 infection. We put forth an example of one of the extra-pulmonary manifestations of the COVID-19 secondary to the pro-thrombotic state associated with the COVID-19 infection.

Catheter-Based Renal Denervation Exacerbates Blood Pressure Fall During Hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: Clinical trials applying catheter-based radiofrequency renal denervation (RDN) demonstrated a favorable safety profile with minimal acute or procedural adverse events. Whether ablation of renal nerves adversely affects compensatory responses to hemodynamic challenge has not been extensively investigated. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of RDN on mean arterial pressure, renal function, and the reflex response to hemorrhage in sheep with normotension (control) or with hypertensive chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: Sheep underwent RDN (control-RDN, n = 8; CKD-RDN, n = 7) or sham procedures (control-intact, n = 6; CKD-intact, n = 7). Response to hemorrhage (20% loss of blood volume), including plasma renin activity, was assessed at 2 and 5 months post-procedure. RESULTS: RDN caused a complete reversal of hypertension and improved renal function in CKD-RDN sheep (p < 0.0001 for 2 and 5 months vs. pre-RDN). In response to hemorrhage, mean arterial pressure fell in all groups, with the fall being greater in the RDN than the intact group (2-month fall in mean arterial pressure: control-intact, -10 ± 1 mm Hg; control-RDN, -15 ± 1 mm Hg; p < 0.05; CKD-intact, -11 ± 3 mm Hg; CKD-RDN, -19 ± 9 mm Hg; p < 0.001). Hemorrhage increased heart rate and plasma renin activity in intact sheep, but these responses were significantly attenuated in control-RDN and CKD-RDN animals. Responses to hemorrhage were remarkably similar at 2 and 5 months post-RDN, which suggests that nerve function had not returned within this time frame. CONCLUSIONS: In hypertensive CKD sheep, RDN reduced blood pressure and improved basal renal function but markedly compromised compensatory hemodynamic responses to hemorrhage. Therefore, the capacity to respond to a physiological challenge to body fluid homeostasis may be compromised following RDN.