Blood Pooling Outside of Spinal Vessels (Hematoma) Following COVID-19 Vaccination: Journal 'Annals of Medicine & Surgery' Case Report
First confirmed post COVID-vaccination spontaneous epidural spinal epidural hematoma and second hemorrhagic spinal complications following COVID vaccination.
A new publication in the journal Annals of Medicine & Surgery documented the first case report of spontaneous epidural spinal epidural hematoma (SSEDH) following COVID-19 vaccination.
SSEDH is a rare condition characterized by the accumulation of blood in the epidural space of the spine without a traumatic cause.
The authors report an 80-year-old male who received his first shot of the COVID vaccine “developed pneumonia, weakness, and sensory problems in his legs followed by sphincter incontinence within 5 days period.”
He had received the Sputnik V mRNA COVID vaccine.
“After 3 days of his first shot, cough, high-grade fever, and malaise were developed followed by shortness of breath and excessive sweating,” the study reads.
An MRI showed an (SSEDH in T10–L1, the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae of the spine.
The man underwent laminectomy, a surgical procedure that involves removing part of the vertebral bone, as well as hematoma evacuation, a medical procedure used to remove a localized collection of blood outside the blood vessels.
Despite these serious medical interventions, a one-month follow-up “showed no clinical improvement,” according to the report.
The authors pointed out the case represented the “first” confirmed post-vaccination SSEDH and second in hemorrhagic spinal complications following COVID vaccination.
They called for “[e]arly Neurosurgical intervention and better preoperative neurological status” to help bring about more “favorable” clinical outcomes.
As “no solid association could be scientifically explained” by the authors, they emphasized the need for further studies, early diagnosis, an interdisciplinary medical approach, and faster intervention.
You can download the full case report below:
