Medical Case Reports

Spontaneous Pneumothorax in a Non-Mechanically Ventilated COVID-19 Patient

Background

The outbreak of Corona Virus Disease-19 (COVID-19) was initially reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019. The disease was officially named COVID-19 by World Health Organization (WHO) on February 11, 2020. Most patients presented with symptoms of the upper respiratory tract, such as fever, dry cough, shortness of breath, and fatigue. However, other symptoms such as gastrointestinal disturbances, loss of smell and taste were also noted. Coronaviruses are enveloped positive-stranded Ribo Nucleic Acid (RNA) viruses.

Patients are diagnosed via real time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and imaging findings are characterized with ground glass opacities. Complications from the virus include but not limited to Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), arrhythmias, acute cardiac injury, shock, cardiomyopathy, pulmonary embolism, acute stroke, encephalopathy, Guillain Barre, secondary infections, pneumomediastinum, and pneumothorax. We present a case of spontaneous pneumothorax in a non-smoker patient who did not require any mechanical ventilation or have any prior pulmonary illnesses as a risk factor.

Author(s): Priya Jha, Kathryn JO Connell and Sama Alreddawi

Abstract | Full-Text | PDF

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