Bilateral refractory pneumothorax treated by pleurodesis and bronchial occlusion in a COVID‐19 patient

• Published in: Clinical case reports Vol. 10; no. 12; pp. e6754 - n/a
• Main Authors: Tanaka, Satoshi, Takayama, Yoshihiro, Kitou, Riiko, Asakawa, Ryo, Tobita, Satoshi, Ike, Akihiro, Kawada, Masahiro, Yamamoto, Suguru, Ueno, Kiyonobu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.12.2022; Wiley
• Subjects: bilateral pneumothorax; bronchial occlusion; Case reports; chest drainage; Consent; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Editing; Fistula; Infections; Patients; pleurodesis; Pneumothorax; Surgery; Tomography; Ventilators; Writing; chest drainage; bilateral pneumothorax; COVID‐19; bronchial occlusion; pleurodesis
• ISSN: 2050-0904; 2050-0904
• DOI: 10.1002/ccr3.6754

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) has become a worldwide outbreak, and it can cause various symptoms and complications. However, pneumothorax secondary to COVID‐19 is relatively uncommon. We herein report a 60‐year‐old man with bilateral refractory pneumothorax with severe COVID‐19. In patients with poor general health and who are difficult to undergo surgery for pneumothorax post‐COVID‐19, internal treatments such as chest drainage, bronchial occlusion, and pleurodesis are essential to relieving refractory pneumothorax. It also indicates that autologous blood patch pleurodesis is a useful method in terms of efficacy and side effects. Bilateral pneumothorax secondary to COVID‐19 is a very rare complication and can be refractory. In patients with poor general condition and who are unfit for surgery, combining internal treatments (chest drainage, pleurodesis, and bronchial occlusion) is essential for relieving refractory pneumothorax.