A rare case of Pneumopericardium secondary to COVID-19.
Kamal Kant Sahu, Ajay Kumar Mishra, Yaron Goldman
PMID 32861883WHAT IT FOUND
A 61-year-old man with positive COVID-19 PCR developed spontaneous pneumomediastinum and pneumopericardium before intubation, had subcutaneous emphysema, and died.
This is a single case, not evidence that such complications are common.
Key findings
01The patient developed spontaneous pneumomediastinum and pneumopericardium before intubation, with subcutaneous emphysema.
02Follow-up imaging showed resolution of the pneumomediastinum and pneumopericardium.
03The patient died after receiving high-flow oxygen, BiPAP, intubation, remdesivir, plasma therapy and tocilizumab.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
A case report describes what happened to a single person, so it cannot show how often spontaneous pneumomediastinum or pneumopericardium occurs in COVID-19. The patient received several respiratory supports and treatments at the same time, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated. The report says he died soon after tocilizumab, but it does not establish that tocilizumab caused the death.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The paper does not state funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that tocilizumab caused the patient's death. He had received high-flow oxygen, BiPAP, intubation, remdesivir, plasma therapy and tocilizumab, and this single case report cannot attribute the outcome to one intervention.