Spontaneous pneumomediastinum COVID-19: Impact of mechanical ventilation

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 has spread rapidly around the world and many studies have shown these typical and rare atypical findings, such as transient pneumothorax, spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SP), as well as emphysema subcutaneous during hospitalization. This is the case in a 56-year-old woman with COVID-19, who presented during hospitalization, a spontaneous pneumomediastinum of low abundance. As her clinic worsened with dyspnea and impaired consciousness, she was put on mechanical ventilation in intensive care. Faced with the persistent symptomatology, a control thoracic computed tomography (CT) at 15 days of assisted ventilation found on the axial slice (Figure 1) in parenchymal window, bilateral diffuse depoli glass areas with septal thickening, pneumomediastinum, and significant subcutaneous emphysema. Unfortunately our patient died a few days later.