However, there have been reports of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 that have developed pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum or both without any barotrauma. Pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum are known complications of MV. In some severe cases, patients will require endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation (MV). However, it has been reported that this entity causes mainly respiratory disease. However, over the course of the disease most patients present with fever, chills, cough, and shortness of breath, new loss of taste and/or smell, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. 1 The presentation of COVID-19 is quite variable, which can involve multiple organ systems, ranging from asymptomatic carriers to severe disease and death. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern at the end of January 2020 and a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Education regarding the adjustment of ventilation settlings in the ventilator-dependent COVID-19 patient may perhaps offset the iatrogenic component of barotrauma seen in some such patients.ĬOVID-19 is a disease caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan China. Spontaneous pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum are two serious complications. COVID-19 is associated complications result in prolonged mechanical ventilation and length of stay, as well as overall increase in morbidity and mortality.

These conditions are all associated with severe alveolar damage and rupture of the alveolar wall that can produce pneumomediastinum and pneumothorax, both in mechanically ventilated patients and non-ventilated patients. Finally, barotrauma can occur secondary to the severe inflammatory response from the COVID-19-related cytokine storm. Second, the pressure gradient between the alveoli and the pulmonary interstitium. First, the direct infection of the Type I and Type II pneumocytes by the virus. We identified various factors that predispose to barotrauma. The process of pneumomediastinum and pneumothorax development is not well understood, especially in patients without underlying lung disease or on mechanical ventilation. We found that spontaneous barotrauma is one of the complications associated with COVID-19 infection and has been observed in patients with and without mechanical ventilation. Further references were obtained through cross-referencing the bibliographies cited in each publication. To this end, we conducted a comprehensive online literature search using PubMed for articles published with the key words of ‘spontaneous pneumothorax’, ‘pneumomediastinum’ and ‘COVID-19’. The aim of this paper was to review the literature to explore the association between pneumomediastinum/pneumothorax and COVID-19 respiratory disease, both in patients on ventilators and without ventilators, on a spontaneous basis. Severity varies from asymptomatic pulmonary findings on imaging to acute respiratory distress syndrome along with pleural effusions, consolidations and spontaneous pneumomediastinum and pneumothorax. COVID-19 causes inflammatory disease mainly affecting the respiratory system. Reports of spontaneous pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum as a complication of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have been increasing.

Barotrauma medical definition