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J Emerg Med
. 2021 Jan 22;S0736-4679(21)00017-2.
doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2021.01.008. Online ahead of print.
Delayed Spontaneous Bilateral Pneumothorax in a Previously Healthy Nonventilated COVID-19 Patient
Maite A Huis In 't Veld 1 , Suzanne W Ten Kortenaar 2 , Thomas M Bodifee 2 , Jeroen Stavast 3 , Bart Kessels 4
Affiliations
- PMID: 33678511
- DOI: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2021.01.008
Abstract
Background: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recent viral outbreak that has rapidly spread to multiple countries worldwide. Little is known about COVID-19 infection-related complications.
Case report: We report a patient who developed spontaneous bilateral pneumothorax after a recent COVID-19 infection. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of spontaneous bilateral pneumothorax in a patient with recent confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infection without any risk factors for pneumothorax and who had not received positive pressure ventilation. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: There may be a possible correlation between a recent COVID-19 infection and the development of spontaneous pneumothorax. The diagnosis of spontaneous pneumothorax should be considered in any patient with known or suspected recent COVID-19 infection who presents with new acute symptoms consistent with pneumothorax or sudden clinical deterioration.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; complication; pneumothorax; spontaneous pneumothorax