Incidence and trends of central line associated pneumothorax using radiograph report text search versus administrative database codes

Pneumothorax and Pneumomediastinum in COVID-19 Suggest a Pneumocystic Pathology

Objective

To determine whether the apparent excess incidence of pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is explained adequately by iatrogenic causes vs reflecting sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection.

Patients and Methods

We retrospectively reviewed patients within our health care system from March 15, 2020, through May 31, 2020, who had a diagnosis of pneumothorax or pneumomediastinum during hospitalization for confirmed COVID-19 infection with attention to timing of pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum; presence, laterality, and placement, or attempts at central lines; and presence of mechanical ventilation before the event.

Results

We report clinical data and outcomes from 9 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 who developed pneumothorax and/or pneumomediastinum among more than 1200 hospitalized patients admitted within our hospital system early in the pandemic. Many events were inexplicable by iatrogenic needle injury, including 1 spontaneous case without central line access or mechanical ventilation. One occurred before central line placement, 2 in patients with only a peripherally inserted central line, and 1 contralateral to a classic central line. Three of these 9 patients died of complications of COVID-19 during their hospital stay.

Conclusion

With COVID-19 affecting the peripheral lung pneumocytes, patients are vulnerable to develop pneumothorax or pneumomediastinum irrespective of their central line access site. We hypothesize that COVID-19 hyperinflammation, coupled with the viral tropism that includes avid involvement of peripheral lung pneumocytes, induces a predisposition to peripheral bronchoalveolar communication and consequent viral hyperinflammatory-triggered pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum.

Pneumoperitoneum-induced pneumothorax during laparoscopic living donor hepatectomy: a case report

Background

We present a living donor case with an unexpected large-volume pneumothorax diagnosed using lung ultrasound during a laparoscopic hepatectomy for liver transplantation (LT).

Case presentation

A 38-year-old healthy female living donor underwent elective laparoscopic right hepatectomy. The preoperative chest radiography (CXR) and computed tomography images were normal. The surgery was uneventfully performed with tolerable CO₂ insufflation and the head-up position. SpO₂ decreased and airway peak pressure increased abruptly after beginning the surgery. There were no improvements in the SpO₂ or airway pressure despite adjusting the endotracheal tube. Eventually, lung ultrasound was performed to rule out a pneumothorax, and we verified the stratosphere sign as a marker for the pneumothorax. The surgeon was asked to temporarily hold the surgery and cease with the pneumoperitoneum. Portable CXR verified a large right pneumothorax with a small degree of left lung collapse; thus, a chest tube was inserted on the right side. The hemodynamic parameters fully recovered and were stable, and the surgery continued laparoscopically. The surgeon explored the diaphragm and surrounding structures to detect any defects or injuries, but there were no abnormal findings. The postoperative course was uneventful, and a follow-up CXR revealed complete resolution of the two-sided pneumothorax.

Conclusion

This living donor case suggests that a pneumothorax can occur during laparoscopic hepatectomy due to the escape of intraperitoneal CO₂ gas into the pleural cavity. Because missing the chance to identify a pneumothorax early significantly decreases the safety for living donors, point-of-care lung ultrasound may help attending physicians reach the final diagnosis of an intraoperative pneumothorax more rapidly and to plan the treatment more effectively.