Case Reports

Acute surgical abdomen due to duodenal perforation in an elderly COVID-19 patient

Authors

• • Džemail Detanac Džemail Detanac ORCID profile. (opens in new tab)
  • General hospital Novi Pazar, Serbia
• • Enes Zogić
  • General hospital Novi Pazar, Serbia
• • Džemil Bihorac
  • General hospital Novi Pazar, Serbia
• • Dženana Detanac Dženana Detanac ORCID profile. (opens in new tab)
  • General hospital Novi Pazar, Serbia
• • Lejla Ćeranić
  • General hospital Novi Pazar, Serbia
• • Mehmed Mujdragić
  • General hospital Novi Pazar, Serbia
• • Kemal Alihodžić
  • General hospital Novi Pazar, Serbia
• • Irfan Ćorović
  • General hospital Novi Pazar, Serbia

Abstract

Introduction: Since the announcement of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the health system has been facing great challenges. Due to several uncertainties and concerns, surgeons face a huge challenge in solving urgent surgical conditions in order to save a life. Case report. We present a patient with a coronavirus (COVID-19) infection and acute abdomen who was in poor general condition at the time of surgery, septic, all as a result of duodenal ulcer perforation. She did not have a positive RT-PCR at the time of surgery, but the lung CT scan showed highly indicative signs of COVID-19 infection. She had a positive nasopharyngeal swab RT-PCR test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus on the first postoperative day.

Conclusion: All suspected COVID-19 patients during surgery should be treated as positive for SARS-CoV-2 virus with the use of all staff protection measures.

Keywords: COVID-19, acute abdomen, RT-PCR, CT

How to Cite: Detanac, D. , Zogić, E. , Bihorac, D. , Detanac, D. , Ćeranić, L. , Mujdragić, M. , Alihodžić, K. & Ćorović, I. (2021) “Acute surgical abdomen due to duodenal perforation in an elderly COVID-19 patient”, Biomedicinska istraživanja. 12(2). doi: https://doi.org/10.5937/bii2102204d