Barotrauma in COVID-19 Patients

Farahnaz Fallahian; Atabak Najafi; Arezoo Ahmadi

doi:10.18502/aacc.v8i1.8248

Farahnaz Fallahian Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical University, Tehran, Iran.
Atabak Najafi Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Arezoo Ahmadi Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/aacc.v8i1.8248

Keywords: COVID-19; Acute respiratory distress Syndrome; Pulmonary barotrauma

Abstract

Clinical manifestations of COVID 19 is still unknown. We performed this study to determine the occurrence of pulmonary barotrauma as a complication of this disease.

In this retrospective study, a total of 955 COVID 19 patients with respiratory insufficiency requiring oxygen support or invasive ventilation admitted to ICU of Sina Hospital from 20 March 2020 to 9 June 2021, were included and their chest imaging reviewed. Here, we report results of chest imaging of first 92 patients of this group.

Barotrauma (pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, pneumopericardium) occurred in 11 (11.9%) of 92 patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection requiring ICU admission for respiratory support and monitoring.

It seems barotrauma is a common complication of COVID 19 disease. The role of increased respiratory efforts, patient or ventilation induced lung injury, viral and host response should be assessed. It needs to consider the occurrence of barotrauma in Patients with COVID-19, before expansion of dead space for treatment and limiting the ventilation effects.