Spontaneous pneumothorax: An emerging complication of COVID-19 pneumonia

Spontaneous Pneumothorax in the setting of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has been rarely described and is a potentially lethal complication. We report our institutional experience. Patients with confirmed COVID-19 who were admitted at 5 hospitals within the Inova health system between February 21 and May 2020 were included in the study. We identified 1619 patients, 22 patients (1.4%) developed spontaneous pneumothorax during their hospitalization without evidence of traumatic injury. (C) 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Spontaneous pneumothorax in COVID-19 patients is rare but potentially fatal. Among 1619 confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted to 5 hospitals within the Inova health system, 22 patients (1.4%) developed spontaneous pneumothorax during their hospitalization.