Fatal Asphyxia Potentially Caused by COVID-19-Induced Exacerbation of Pre-existing Tracheal Stenosis

We report a case of cardiac arrest due to asphyxia caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a patient with no history of tracheal intubation but with a history of subglottic stenosis. A 54-year-old man suffered a cardiac arrest at home. The patient had tracheal stenosis; therefore, it was di...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) CA), 2023-01, Vol.15 (1), p.e34246
Main Authors: Kuwahara, Masaatsu, Otagaki, Hiroko, Imanaka, Hideaki
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Airway management
Case reports
COVID-19
Disease
Emergency medical care
Emergency Medicine
Hospitals
Infections
Infectious Disease
Intubation
Medical records
Ostomy
Physicians
Pulmonology
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Tracheotomy
Ventilators
Viral infections
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Summary:We report a case of cardiac arrest due to asphyxia caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a patient with no history of tracheal intubation but with a history of subglottic stenosis. A 54-year-old man suffered a cardiac arrest at home. The patient had tracheal stenosis; therefore, it was difficult to intubate. The patient had COVID-19, which was presumed to have aggravated the existing tracheal stenosis and caused asphyxiation. The patient died seven days later. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of a patient with subglottic stenosis potentially aggravated by COVID-19, resulting in asphyxia-related cardiopulmonary arrest. The patient could not be saved, but emergency physicians should be aware that airway obstruction can be caused by viral infections, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infections. Physicians should consider the difficulty in performing oral intubation and cricothyrotomy and be aware of alternative methods to secure the airway.
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.34246