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Peer-reviewedCC BYClinical case reports

Severe Thrombocytopenia Induced by Re‐Exposure to Piperacillin/Tazobactam: A Case Report in Critically Ill Patient With COVID‐19

  • Abdullah F. Alharthi1
  • Munirah A. Alkathiri2
  • Othman Alomeir1
  • Shmeylan Al Harbi3,4,5
  • Ohoud Aljuhani6
  • Haifa A. Alhaidal7
  • Khalid Al Sulaiman3,4,5,8,9
9 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy Shaqra University Al‐Dawadmi Saudi Arabia
  2. 2Pharmaceutical Care Division King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre Riyadh Saudi Arabia
  3. 3Pharmaceutical Care Department King Abdulaziz Medical City Riyadh Saudi Arabia
  4. 4College of Pharmacy King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences Riyadh Saudi Arabia
  5. 5Clinical Trial Management King Abdullah International Medical Research Center Riyadh Saudi Arabia
  6. 6Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy King Abdulaziz University Jeddah Saudi Arabia
  7. 7Pharmaceutical Care Administration King Saud Medical City Riyadh Saudi Arabia
  8. 8Saudi Critical Care Pharmacy Research (SCAPE) Platform Riyadh Saudi Arabia
  9. 9Saudi Society for Multidisciplinary Research Development and Education (SCAPE Society) Riyadh Saudi Arabia
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Abstract

Drug‐induced thrombocytopenia is a condition where certain medications can significantly reduce the platelets in the blood. This can increase the risk of bleeding and bruising. We reported a case of a 73‐year‐old woman with multiple comorbidities who was admitted to the hospital with COVID‐19. Upon admission, the patient received multiple antibiotics, including Piperacillin/Tazobactam. In the following days, she developed severe thrombocytopenia upon re‐exposure to Piperacillin/Tazobactam. Other causes of thrombocytopenia were systematically excluded. After discontinuing the Piperacillin/Tazobactam and administering intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), the thrombocytopenia resolved. A Naranjo Adverse Drug Reaction Probability Scale score was calculated and indicated a probable (i.e., 6 points) adverse drug reaction. This case underscores the importance of considering Piperacillin/Tazobactam as a potential cause of severe thrombocytopenia in critically ill patients, even in the presence of confounding factors such as COVID‐19. To our knowledge, this is a rarely reported presentation in a patient with a recent COVID‐19 infection. Further studies are needed to clarify the relationship between COVID‐19 and drug‐induced thrombocytopenia.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{alharthi2026severe,
  title = {{Severe Thrombocytopenia Induced by Re‐Exposure to Piperacillin/Tazobactam: A Case Report in Critically Ill Patient With COVID‐19}},
  author = {Abdullah F. Alharthi and Munirah A. Alkathiri and Othman Alomeir and Shmeylan Al Harbi and Ohoud Aljuhani and Haifa A. Alhaidal and Khalid Al Sulaiman},
  journal = {Clinical case reports},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1002/ccr3.73787},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13721160},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Severe Thrombocytopenia Induced by Re‐Exposure to Piperacillin/Tazobactam: A Case Report in Critically Ill Patient With COVID‐19
AU  - Abdullah F. Alharthi
AU  - Munirah A. Alkathiri
AU  - Othman Alomeir
AU  - Shmeylan Al Harbi
AU  - Ohoud Aljuhani
AU  - Haifa A. Alhaidal
AU  - Khalid Al Sulaiman
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/30
JO  - Clinical case reports
DO  - 10.1002/ccr3.73787
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13721160
AB  - Drug‐induced thrombocytopenia is a condition where certain medications can significantly reduce the platelets in the blood. This can increase the risk of bleeding and bruising. We reported a case of a 73‐year‐old woman with multiple comorbidities who was admitted to the hospital with COVID‐19. Upon admission, the patient received multiple antibiotics, including Piperacillin/Tazobactam. In the following days, she developed severe thrombocytopenia upon re‐exposure to Piperacillin/Tazobactam. Other causes of thrombocytopenia were systematically excluded. After discontinuing the Piperacillin/Tazobactam and administering intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), the thrombocytopenia resolved. A Naranjo Adverse Drug Reaction Probability Scale score was calculated and indicated a probable (i.e., 6 points) adverse drug reaction. This case underscores the importance of considering Piperacillin/Tazobactam as a potential cause of severe thrombocytopenia in critically ill patients, even in the presence of confounding factors such as COVID‐19. To our knowledge, this is a rarely reported presentation in a patient with a recent COVID‐19 infection. Further studies are needed to clarify the relationship between COVID‐19 and drug‐induced thrombocytopenia.
SN  - 2050-0904
ER  -