Pneumothorax with Bullous Lesions as a Late Complication of Covid-19 Pneumonia: A Report on Two Clinical Cases

Background: Coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19) primarily affects the respiratory tract, causing viral pneumonia with fever, hypoxemia, and cough. Commonly observed complications include acute respiratory failure, liver or kidney injury, and cardiovascular or neurologic symptoms. In some patients, inf...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of emergency medicine 2021-11, Vol.61 (5), p.581-586
Main Authors: Schiller, Martin, Wunsch, Andreas, Fisahn, Juergen, Gschwendtner, Andreas, Huebner, Ute, Kick, Wolfgang
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Blister - virology
Clinical Communication: Adults
COVID-19
COVID-19 - complications
COVID-19 Drug Treatment
emphysematous bulla
Humans
pneumonia
pneumothorax
Pneumothorax - virology
remdesivir
SARS-CoV-2
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Summary:Background: Coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19) primarily affects the respiratory tract, causing viral pneumonia with fever, hypoxemia, and cough. Commonly observed complications include acute respiratory failure, liver or kidney injury, and cardiovascular or neurologic symptoms. In some patients, inflammatory damage results in long-term complications, such as pulmonary fibrosis, chronic pulmonary thrombotic microangiopathy, or neurologic symptoms. The development of spontaneous pneumothorax is reported as a rare complication mainly in consequence to mechanic ventilation in the criticall ill. Case Report: We report 2 cases of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia complicated by spontaneous pneumothorax and bullous lesions of the lung. Bilateral giant bullae were observed in 1 of the cases. This complication occurred after an initial resolvement of respiratory symptoms (day 16 and day 29 after COVID-19 treatment was started). Initially, both patients had shown a rather mild course of COVID-19 pneumonia and no mechanical ventilatory support had been necessary. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This?: In both cases, COVID-19 caused alveolar damage and the formation of thoracic bullae with consequent spontaneous pneumothorax as a serious complication. Emergency physicans must be aware of this complication even if the initial COVID-19 symptoms have resolved. © 2021 Elsevier Inc.
ISSN:0736-4679
2352-5029
0736-4679
DOI:10.1016/j.jemermed.2021.04.030