COVID-19 pneumonia with hemoptysis: Acute segmental pulmonary emboli associated with novel coronavirus infection

Recent retrospective studies from Wuhan, China suggest Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) may be associated with a hypercoagulable state and increased risk for venous thromboembolism. The overlap in the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 associated Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and COVID-19 with concurrent pulmonary embolism creates a diagnostic challenge for emergency medicine physicians in patients already at risk for renal impairment. However, identifying features atypical for COVID-19 alone may play a role in the judicious use of Computed Tomography Angiography among these patients. Hemoptysis is seen in roughly 13% of pulmonary embolism cases and infrequently reported among COVID-19 infections. Additionally, the presence of right heart strain on electrocardiography (EKG) is a well described clinical presentations of pulmonary embolism not reported commonly with COVID-19 infections.