ST-Segment Elevation Secondary to Spontaneous Pneumomediastinum in the Setting of COVID-19 Infection: A Case Report and Literature Review

A 45-year-old male presented with shortness of breath, cough,and chest discomfort. He reported positive test results for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) four days prior; this was confirmed by a second test administered at the hospital. Results of a chest CT, consistent with COVID-19 pneumonia, a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCurēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 14; no. 5
Main Authors Beshai, Rafail, Bulik, Peter, Shaikh, Hafeza
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Palo Alto Cureus Inc 27.05.2022
Cureus
Subjects
Cardiology
Case reports
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Electrocardiography
Emphysema
Family/General Practice
Internal Medicine
Medical imaging
United States > US
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Summary:A 45-year-old male presented with shortness of breath, cough,and chest discomfort. He reported positive test results for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) four days prior; this was confirmed by a second test administered at the hospital. Results of a chest CT, consistent with COVID-19 pneumonia, also revealed pneumomediastinum (PM). EKG showed ST elevations in the inferior leads with no reciprocal changes. Emergent cardiac catheterization showed that he had no stenosis in his major coronary arteries. His symptoms resolved after 25 days of hospitalization and the patient was ultimately discharged. This case highlights the importance of recognizing spontaneous PM as a complication of COVID-19 along with its uncommon presentation of ST elevation in order to prevent unnecessary invasive procedures.
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.25399