Systematic Reviews
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Jun 26, 2021; 9(18): 4700-4708
Published online Jun 26, 2021. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i18.4700
Mesenteric ischemia in COVID-19 patients: A review of current literature
Asad Ali Kerawala, Bhagwan Das, Ahda Solangi
Asad Ali Kerawala, Department of Surgery, Cancer Foundation Hospital, Karachi 75300, Pakistan
Bhagwan Das, Department of Medicine, Cancer Foundation Hospital, Karachi 75300, Pakistan
Ahda Solangi, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY 10595, United States
Author contributions: Kerawala AA designed the research study, wrote the manuscript, analyzed the data and approved the final draft; Das B designed the research study, wrote the manuscript, analyzed the data and approved the final draft; Solangi A analyzed the data and approved the final draft.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare they have no conflict of interest.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Asad Ali Kerawala, FCPS, Surgeon, Department of Surgery, Cancer Foundation Hospital, C-130, Block 09, Gulshan - e Iqbal, Karachi 75300, Pakistan. asadali4@yahoo.com
Received: January 11, 2021
Peer-review started: January 11, 2021
First decision: January 23, 2021
Revised: February 13, 2021
Accepted: April 23, 2021
Article in press: April 23, 2021
Published online: June 26, 2021
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) virus has affected all the systems of the body, defying all impressions of it being a respiratory virus only.

AIM

To see the association of mesenteric ischemia with COVID-19.

METHODS

After initial screening and filtering of the titles on PubMed and Google Scholar, 124 articles were selected. Articles were read in full, and the references were skimmed for relevance. Twenty-six articles (case reports and case series) were found to eligible for inclusion. References of these 26 articles were checked for any additional cases. Two more publications were found, and a total of 28 articles (22 case reports and 6 case series) have been included for review in this manuscript.

RESULTS

A total of 41 cases of acute mesenteric ischemia in COVID-19 patients have been reported in the literature since the outbreak of this pandemic. Most of them include patients with comorbidities.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, based on this literature review and precise published knowledge regarding acute mesenteric ischemia in patients with COVID-19, it is essential to understand its relevance in all patients with gastrointestinal symptoms. The threshold for the diagnostic investigations should also be kept low for the timely diagnosis and management of this disorder.

Keywords: Mesenteric ischemia, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Influenza, Severe acute respiratory syndrome, Acute abdomen

Core Tip: This review suggests that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) acute mesenteric ischemia in patients, especially those with preexisting comorbidities. Any patient suffering from COVID-19 and having gastrointestinal symptoms should be observed with a high index of suspicion for acute mesenteric ischemia. After diagnosis, surgical treatment should be offered, which is the only hope for survival for these patients.