Introduction: Viral infections have been described as triggers for Kawasaki Disease (KD), a medium vessel vasculitis that affects young children. Akin to the H1N1 pandemic in 2009, there is a similar rise in the incidence of KD in children affected with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) has been reported to induce an exaggerated systemic inflammatory response resulting in multi-organ involvement, particularly initiated with pulmonary parenchymal damage. This review article will discuss KD-like manifestations in COVID-19 patients in the pediatric cohort.
Methodology: Search terms “Kawasaki” “COVID-19” “SARS-COV-2” “PIM-TS” and “MIS-C” were used to look for relevant articles in PubMed and Google Scholar published in the last 5 years.
Results: There is some evidence to suggest that SARS-CoV-2 stimulates dysfunctional and hyperactive immune reactions mimicking KD in young patients.
Conclusions: Therapeutic options, both investigational and repurposed, include intravenous immunoglobulins, steroids and anticoagulation. More studies are required to evaluate the effectiveness of these treatment options.
We describe a case of 17 year-old male with a nasopharyngeal rhabdomyosarcoma who developed postobstructive pulmonary edema (POPE) after removing the endotracheal tube following biopsy. He developed muffled voice, rhinorrhea, dysphagia, odynophagia, and difficulty breathing through nose and weight loss of 20 pounds in the preceding 2 months. A nasopharyngoscopy revealed a fleshy nasopharyngeal mass compressing the soft and hard palate. Head and neck MRI revealed a large mass in the nasopharynx extending into the bilateral choana and oropharynx. Biopsy of the mass was taken under general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation. Immediately after extubation he developed oxygen desaturation, which did not improve with bag mask ventilation with 100% of oxygen, but improved after a dose of succinylcholine. He was re-intubated and pink, frothy fluid was suctioned from the endotracheal tube. Chest radiograph (CXR) was suggestive of an acute pulmonary edema. He improved with mechanical ventilation and intravenous furosemide. His pulmonary edema resolved over the next 24 h. POPE is a rare but serious complication associated with upper airway obstruction. The pathophysiology of POPE involves hemodynamic changes occurring in the lung and the heart during forceful inspiration against a closed airway due to an acute or chronic airway obstruction. This case illustrates the importance of considering the development of POPE with general anesthesia, laryngospasm and removal of endotracheal tube to make prompt diagnosis and to initiate appropriate management.
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