CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Thorac Cardiovasc Surg Rep 2021; 10(01): e55-e58
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1735478
Case Report: Thoracic

Spontaneous Pneumomediastinum: A Possible Severe Condition in SARS-CoV-2 Pneumonia

1   Department of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Centre Hospitalier Wallonie Picarde, Tournai, Belgium
,
Manuel Pirotte
1   Department of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Centre Hospitalier Wallonie Picarde, Tournai, Belgium
,
Carlo Caravaggio
1   Department of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Centre Hospitalier Wallonie Picarde, Tournai, Belgium
,
Philippe Devaux
1   Department of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Centre Hospitalier Wallonie Picarde, Tournai, Belgium
› Institutsangaben

Abstract

Background Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SP) is the presence of free air into extra-alveolar tissues within the mediastinum, without notion of trauma. This rare condition may occur as a complication of an underlying severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pneumonia. Higher rates of mechanical ventilation are reported in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with pneumomediastinum.

Case Description We report two cases of COVID-19 infected patients suffering from mild and severe SP and their outcome.

Discussion The objective of this report is to review the literature about this condition. We discuss about the pathological pathways underlying this complication and how it reflects the severity of COVID-19 pneumonia.

Conclusion Currently, it remains unclear if SP in SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia is a potential predictor of disease worsening, for it does not seem to be related with a higher rate of mortality.



Publikationsverlauf

Eingereicht: 06. April 2021

Angenommen: 24. Juni 2021

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
10. November 2021

© 2021. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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