Arthroscopic debridement for acute hemorrhagic subacromial bursitis following COVID-19 vaccine administration: A case report

Abstract

The rapid rollout of vaccinations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to their widespread distribution and administration throughout the world. The benefit of these vaccinations in preventing the spread of the disease and diminishing symptoms in patients who contract COVID-19 has been fervently studied and reported. While vaccinations remain an effective and generally safe method of limiting disease transmission and virus-related mortality, vaccine administration is not completely without risk. Shoulder injuries related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) have been described with previously available vaccines but have yet to be widely reported in the COVID-19 vaccination population. We present a case report of a young, high-functioning patient who presented with acute subacromial bursitis after COVID-19 vaccine administration due to improper vaccination technique. The patient was treated with arthroscopic shoulder surgery and had near immediate relief of shoulder symptoms.

Shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) after COVID-19 vaccination

“…For subgroup purposes, that patient is counted in the cases from the literature [9] . In total, 28 patients were included from literature [9] , [10] , [11] , [12] , [13] , [14] , [15] , [16] , [17] , [18] , [19] , [20] , [21] , [22] , [23] .…”

“…Previous literature has shown that up to 22% of cases ultimately require surgery [5] . At the time of reporting, only 2 patients in the subgroup analysis had undergone surgery, one for septic arthritis and the other for hemorrhagic bursitis [9] , [14] . No VAERS cases had undergone surgery at the time of reporting.…”

Appropriate intradeltoid muscle needle penetration depth in vaccine administration: an MRI study in Thailand

“…Although the patient eventually experienced complete resolution of the bursitis, the unnecessary antibiotic exposure raised concerns about the development of antibiotic resistance. Another case reported by Mayer et al (12) involved subacromial bursitis as a complication following a COVID-19 vaccine administration at a too-high location. The patient experienced acute severe pain, disrupted daily activities, and lowgrade fever.…”

An analysis of reported cases shoulder injury related to vaccine administration of after COVID-19 vaccination

“…She had attained full range of motion 4 weeks after the surgery. 8 7 26 Male Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccination First Twenty-four hours after receiving vaccination Wrong injection site There is slight swelling on the right shoulder, and there is a vaccine injection site on the outer edge of the shoulder peak. Severe pain during shoulder joint activity, limited forward and lateral rotation movement White blood cells count of 7500/uL (normal), erythrocyte sedimentation rate of 5.0 mm/hr (normal), and C-reactive protein of 1.2 mg/dL (elevated).…”