Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformation: Not all Hypoxemia During Covid-19 is the Same.

UNLABELLED

Hypoxemia in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients is not solely due to alveolar damage but can also involve factors like vascular shunts, such as pulmonary arteriovenous malformation, contributing to persistent hypoxemia. We report a case of a 59-year-old male, with COVID-19 pneumonia, requiring high-flow respiratory support, who later was also diagnosed with a large pulmonary arteriovenous fistula, which probably worsened because of COVID-19 infection.

LEARNING POINTS

Hypoxemia in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients is multifaceted not only with alveolar damage but also with other factors such as vascular shunts, like pulmonary arteriovenous malformation.Diagnosing pulmonary arteriovenous malformation can be difficult due to overlapping symptoms with other respiratory disorders.Management of pulmonary arteriovenous malformation typically involves transcatheter embolization to block abnormal vascular connections and reduce the risk of complications like paradoxical emboli. Surgical options are reserved for severe cases, while pharmacological treatments are less common.