Delayed Spontaneous Bilateral Pneumothorax in a Previously Healthy Non-ventilated COVID-19 Patient.

Huis in ‘t Veld, Maite A.; Ten Kortenaar, Suzanne W.; Bodifee, Thomas M.; Stavast, Jeroen; Kessels, Bart

Background The novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a recent viral outbreak which has rapidly spread to multiple countries worldwide. Little is known about COVID-19 infection related complications. Case report We report a patient who developed spontaneous bilateral pneumothorax following a recent COVID-19 infection. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of spontaneous bilateral pneumothorax in a patient with recent confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection without any risk factors for pneumothorax and who had not received positive pressure ventilation. Why should an emergency physician be aware of this? There may be a possible correlation between a recent COVID-19 infection and the development of spontaneous pneumothorax. The diagnosis of spontaneous pneumothorax should be considered in any patient with known or suspected recent COVID-19 infection who presents with new acute symptoms consistent with pneumothorax or sudden clinical deterioration.