Journal Retracts Case Report on Esophageal Hematoma in COVID-19 ARDS Patient

A case report describing a rare esophageal hematoma in a patient with COVID-19-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome has been retracted by the journal Discover Medicine, according to a retraction note published on 12 October 2026.

The original article, published on 13 July 2025, reported a case of esophageal hematoma in a COVID-19 ARDS patient and included a review of the related literature. The retraction note confirms that the Editor has retracted the article and has lost confidence in the integrity of the study.

According to the notice, initial concerns were raised surrounding the authorship of the article. Further inquiry confirmed those concerns and revealed additional problems: inconsistencies in the consent statement and a lack of clarity pertaining to the location of the study.

The journal states that the authors did not provide ethical documentation when it was requested. This absence of supporting ethical paperwork, together with the authorship and consent issues, formed the basis of the Editor’s decision to withdraw the publication.

The retraction note also records the responses of the author group. Iqbal Babazade does not agree to the retraction, while the remaining listed authors, Fəridə Ağayarlı, Altay Aliyev, Arturan İbrahimli, Kamal Ahmedov and Elgun Samedov, did not respond to correspondence about the retraction.

The retraction notice links back to the original record, which was published in the journal in 2025 under DOI 10.1007/s44337-025-00427-1.

Subject of Research: Retraction of a case report on an esophageal hematoma in a COVID-19 ARDS patient

Article Title: Retraction Note: A rare esophageal hematoma in a COVID-19 ARDS patient: a case report and literature review

Article References: Babazade, İ., Ağayarlı, F., Aliyev, A., İbrahimli, A., Ahmedov, K., & Samedov, E. (2026). Retraction Note: A rare esophageal hematoma in a COVID-19 ARDS patient: a case report and literature review. Discover Medicine, 3(1), Article 154. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44337-026-00718-1

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s44337-026-00718-1

Keywords: retraction, Discover Medicine, case report, esophageal hematoma, COVID-19, ARDS, research integrity, authorship, ethical documentation, consent statement, open access, Note