Purpose COVID-19 is associated with high morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing surgery. Contrary to elective procedures, emergency operations should not be postponed. We aim to evaluate the profile and outcomes of COVID-19 patients who underwent emergency abdominal surgery. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of perioperative data of COVID-19 patients undergoing emergency surgery from April 2020 to August 2020. Results Eighty-two patients were evaluated due to abdominal complaints, yielding 22 emergency surgeries. The mean APACHE II and SAPS were 18.7 and 68, respectively. Six patients had a PaO 2 /FiO 2 lower than 200 and more than 50% of parenchymal compromise on chest tomography. The most common indications for emergency surgery were hernias (6; 27.2%). The median length of stay was 30 days, and only two patients required reoperation. Postoperatively, 10 (43.3%) patients needed mechanical ventilation for a mean of 6 days. The overall mortality rate was 31.8%. Conclusion Both postoperative morbidity and mortality are high in COVID-19 patients with respiratory compromise and abdominal emergencies. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13304-021-01007-5.

Background Pneumomediastinum is a rare complication of COVID-19 pneumonia, which may or may not be associated with invasive ventilatory support. Therefore, the report and findings associated with its evolution can be of great contribution in the management of this unknown disease. Case presentation Here, we present a series of four patients with severe pneumomediastinum requiring intensive care unit. These patients developed pneumomediastinum before or during orotracheal intubation (OTI) or without OTI. The four patients were three men and one woman with a mean age of 60.5 years (48–74 years). No patients had a known history of lung disease or traumatic events, except for one patient who had a history of smoking, but who was without parenchymal disease. All intubations were performed without complications. No cases of pneumomediastinum occurred after tracheostomy, and none of the patients had tomographic or bronchoscopic evidence of tracheal injury. Although the pneumomediastinum observed in our cases was apparently not related to a violation of the aerodigestive track, this complication was associated with a worse prognosis. Conclusion Pneumomediastinum is a rare complication of COVID-19 pneumonia, and the most likely etiopathogenesis is severe pulmonary involvement, which may or may not be associated with invasive ventilatory support. Future studies with a greater number of cases should elucidate the relationship of pneumomediastinum to a probable prognostic factor.

Background: Pneumomediastinum is a rare complication of COVID-19 pneumonia, which may or may not be associated with invasive ventilatory support. Therefore, the report and findings associated with its evolution can be of great contribution in the management of this unknown disease. Case Presentation: Here we present a series of four patients with severe pneumomediastinum requiring intensive care unit. These patients developed pneumomediastinum before or during orotracheal intubation (OTI) or without OTI. The four patients were three men and one woman with a mean age of 60.5 years (48-74 y). No patients had a known history of lung disease or traumatic events, except for one patient who had a history of smoking but who was without parenchymal disease. All intubations were performed without complications. No cases of pneumomediastinum occurred after tracheostomy, and none of the patients had tomographic or bronchoscopic evidence of tracheal injury. Although the pneumomediastinum observed in our cases was apparently not related to a violation of the aerodigestive track, this complication was associated with a worse prognosis. Conclusion: Pneumomediastinum is a rare complication of COVID-19 pneumonia, and the most likely etiopathogenesis is severe pulmonary involvement, which may or may not be associated with invasive ventilatory support. Future studies with a greater number of cases should elucidate the relationship of pneumomediastinum to a probable prognostic factor.