Management of pulmonary contusions during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Eguchi, Daiki; Adachi, Hiroshi; Choi, Kwonil; Yonemori, Koji

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) is an emerging infectious disease with human‐to‐human transmission. Early identification of patients with COVID‐19 is important in preventing its spread. CASE PRESENTATION: A 36‐year‐old man with a fever for 3 days fell from the 5th floor and was transported to our emergency department. Pan‐scan computed tomography (CT) revealed multiple ground‐glass opacities just below the pleura, pelvic fractures, thoracic vertebral fracture (Th11), and right femoral fracture. COVID‐19 was ruled out based on negative real‐time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction results on days 2 and 3, and a reduction in the multiple ground‐glass opacities on CT carried out on day 5. Until the suspicion of COVID‐19 was cleared, strict and standardized processing procedures were implemented in the same way as for a patient with COVID‐19. CONCLUSIONS: It is very difficult to rapidly differentiate between pulmonary contusions and COVID‐19, as these conditions have many similarities on CT.