Journal
CUREUS JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE
Volume 14, Issue 5, Pages -Publisher
CUREUS INC
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.24931
Keywords
musculocutaneous nerve; brachial plexus; prone positioning; injury; covid-19
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Prone positioning is crucial but may cause peripheral nerve injury in patients with ARDS. We report a case of upper limb neuropathy in a COVID-19 patient after being placed in the prone position, which was improved with physical therapy.
Prone positioning is crucial in the respiratory management of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and reduces mortality. However, this may be complicated by compression-related peripheral nerve injury. We report the case of a male in his 80s with obesity admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with COVID-19 pneumonia who developed brachial plexus disorder in the right upper extremity and musculocutaneous neuropathy in the left. The patient's cough, dyspnea, and fatigue did not improve; therefore, he was intubated and placed in the prone position for one week. The patient complained of bilateral upper limb weakness on regaining consciousness. We diagnosed left musculocutaneous nerve palsy and right brachial plexus palsy based on physical findings and needle electromyography (EMG). Physical therapy was initiated, including joint range-of-motion exercises focused on preventing contractures in the extremities and active assistive exercises. Motor impairment improved, and the patient was discharged from the rehabilitation center.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available