There has been an accumulating evidence of association between COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) infection and cardiovascular complications. We describe a case of a 58-year-old lady with a history of systolic heart failure and COVID-19 infection, who developed persistent symptomatic bradycardia, requiring pacemaker placement as unusual conductive tissue involvement of this novel coronavirus.
As more patients recover from COVID-19 infection, long-term complications are beginning to arise. Our case report will explore a debilitating long-term complication, Post-COVID Interstitial Lung Disease (PC-ILD). We will introduce a patient who developed PC-ILD in the setting of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, outlining a difficult hospital course, including a positive COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for more than 3 months. We will then discuss the human body’s physiological response to the virus and how our patient was not able to adequately mount an immune response. Finally, the pathophysiology of PC-ILD will be explored and correlated with the patient’s subsequent computed tomographic images obtained over a 3-month period. The difficult hospital course and complex medical decision-making outlined in this case report serve as a reminder for health care providers to maintain vigilance in protecting our most vulnerable patient population from such a devastating disease process.
Lutetium-177 ( 177 Lu) dotatate is a type of peptide receptor radioligand therapy (PRRT) using radiolabeled somatostatin for patients with progressive somatostatin receptor-positive gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors. While cases of therapy-related myeloid neoplasms (t-MN) have been described as a consequence of 177 Lu dotatate, there are no reports of hemolytic anemia associated with therapy. We present a case of a 68year-old woman with metastatic low-grade neuroendocrine tumor who presented four weeks after the second dose of 177 Lu dotatate with progressive fatigue and dyspnea. Laboratory workup was remarkable for hemolytic anemia. Lutetium-177 dotatate-induced hemolysis was suspected after ruling out other causes. Corticosteroid treatment was initiated with improvement in hemoglobin, and dose-reduced PRRT was planned upon discharge. Six months into the treatment course of 177 Lu dotatate, macrocytic anemia was noticed on routine follow-up with normal vitamin B12 and folic acid levels. A bone marrow biopsy was done, revealing myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) features. Given the temporal relationship between drug introduction and the objective findings, early-onset 177 Lu dotatate-induced MDS was diagnosed with a plan for close hematologic follow-up. Myelodysplastic syndrome should be suspected when megaloblastic anemia develops in patients with previous 177 Lu dotatate therapy. The latency period between initial treatment and MDS diagnosis reported in the literature ranges between 15 months to seven years. Apart from the unusually early onset of MDS, what is unique about our case is the development of hemolytic anemia after administration of PRRT. The clinical course and the brisk response to steroid therapy, suggest other mechanisms of PRRT toxicity besides DNA breaks, genetic mutations, and myelosuppression by an immunemediated component that likely plays a role in 177 Lu dotatate toxicity. Further investigation and monitoring are needed to identify the frequency of such adverse events and the pathophysiology of their occurrence.
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