Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37667198›Full record

ArticleBMC infectious diseases2023

Pulmonary fat embolism: a potentially new fatal complication of SARS-CoV-2 infection. A case report.

Jiangwei Kong, Tengfei Yang, Fu Zhang, XinBiao Liao, Sihao Du, Xingan Yang, Dongri Li

Open access · goldAbstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 34% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Fat embolism and COVID-19 infection: autopsy and post-mortem laboratory findings in SARS-CoV-2 positive patients.Biomedical papers of the Medical Faculty of the University Palacky, Olomouc, Czechoslovakia · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Jiangwei KongDepartment of Forensic Pathology, School of Forensic Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, People's Republic of China.
Tengfei YangDepartment of Forensic Pathology, School of Forensic Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, People's Republic of China.
Fu ZhangForensic Pathology Lab, Guangdong Public Security Department, Forensic Department of Criminal Investigation Bureau, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510050, People's Republic of China.
XinBiao LiaoForensic Pathology Lab, Guangdong Public Security Department, Forensic Department of Criminal Investigation Bureau, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510050, People's Republic of China.
Sihao DuDepartment of Forensic Pathology, School of Forensic Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, People's Republic of China.
Xingan YangDepartment of Forensic Pathology, School of Forensic Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, People's Republic of China.
Dongri LiDepartment of Forensic Pathology, School of Forensic Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, People's Republic of China. lidongri@smu.edu.cn.
Southern Medical University · CN

Funding

the Foundation of the Opening of Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Public Security GABFYBL202201
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSo far, there have been more than 761 million confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 worldwide, with more than 6.8 million deaths. The most common direct causes of death for COVID-19 are diffuse alveolar injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Autopsy results have shown that 80-100% of COVID-19 patients have microthrombi which is 9 times higher than in patients with influenza. There are reported cases of fat embolism associated with Covid-19, but relevant epidemiological investigations and fatal cases of pulmonary fat embolism are lacking. In this report, we describe the first COVID-19 patient to die from pulmonary fat embolism. CASE PRESENTATION: A 54-year-old woman suddenly felt unwell while at work. She had difficulty breathing for 40 min and lost consciousness for 20 min before being taken to the hospital. On admission, her temperature was 36 ℃, but her respiration, heart rate, and blood pressure were undetectable. Laboratory examination revealed C-reactive protein, 26.55 mg/L; D-dimer, 11,400 µg/L; and procalcitonin, 0.21 ng/mL. She was declared clinically dead 2 h after admission due to ineffective rescue efforts. At autopsy, both lungs were highly oedematous with partial alveolar haemorrhage. The presence of microthrombi and pulmonary fat embolism in small interstitial pulmonary vessels was confirmed by phosphotungstic acid haematoxylin staining and oil red O staining. The immunohistochemical results of spike protein and nucleocapsid protein in laryngeal epithelial cells confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection.

conclusionsPulmonary fat embolism may be another fatal complication of COVID-19 infection, and clinicians should pay more attention to it.

Indexed as

COVID-19Embolism, FatAutopsyBlood PressureFemaleHumansMiddle AgedSARS-CoV-2C-reactive proteinPulmonary fat embolismPulmonary microthromboembolismSARS-CoV-2

Identifiers

PMID37667198
PMCPMC10478277
OpenAlexW4386422211

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.