Vaccine-Induced Immune Thrombocytopenia and Thrombosis after the Sputnik V Vaccine

This correspondence reports a fatal case of vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT) following administration of the Sputnik V vaccine in Argentina, part of the Vigilance of Vaccines against Covid-19 (ViVa) study. A previously healthy 24-year-old woman developed abdominal pain, headache, vomiting, and facial bruising within 9 days post-vaccination, progressing to severe neurologic symptoms. On day 11, cerebral sinus venous thrombosis with intracranial hemorrhage was confirmed alongside thrombocytopenia (platelet count: 27,000/ml) and elevated D-dimer levels (2000 ng/ml). IgG antibodies to platelet factor 4 measured 68%—well above diagnostic thresholds—meeting level 1 certainty criteria for VITT. The patient died on day 14. Prior to this report, no documented VITT cases had been published for Sputnik V, despite its distribution in 71 countries. Regulatory agencies had not issued warnings. The authors emphasize the importance of surveillance and early detection protocols for all adenoviral vector vaccines, including Sputnik V, due to potential albeit rare adverse events.

This correspondence reports a fatal case of vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT) following administration of the Sputnik V vaccine in Argentina, part of the Vigilance of Vaccines against Covid-19 (ViVa) study. A previously healthy 24-year-old woman developed abdominal pain, headache, vomiting, and facial bruising within 9 days post-vaccination, progressing to severe neurologic symptoms. On day 11, cerebral sinus venous thrombosis with intracranial hemorrhage was confirmed alongside thrombocytopenia (platelet count: 27,000/ml) and elevated D-dimer levels (2000 ng/ml). IgG antibodies to platelet factor 4 measured 68%—well above diagnostic thresholds—meeting level 1 certainty criteria for VITT. The patient died on day 14. Prior to this report, no documented VITT cases had been published for Sputnik V, despite its distribution in 71 countries. Regulatory agencies had not issued warnings. The authors emphasize the importance of surveillance and early detection protocols for all adenoviral vector vaccines, including Sputnik V, due to potential albeit rare adverse events.