Dataset Information

Post COVID-19 pneumo-hematocele: clinical presentation and treatment pathway.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

The appearance of characteristic pulmonary lesions has been noted after COVID-19, being described as post-COVID-19 pneumo-hematocele. The aim of this study is to describe the clinical, histopathologic, and imaging features of pneumo-hematocele and to suggest a treatment algorithm for these patients.

Methods

A retrospective study was performed in patients admitted with a diagnosis of SARS-CoV2 infection from March 2020 to September 2021 who presented a pneumo-hematocele on imaging studies. Clinical and demographic variables were recorded, and CT scans were analyzed. A secondary analysis was performed to estimate the risk provided by the pneumo-hematocele diameter of developing pneumothorax.

Results

37 patients were diagnosed with pneumo-hematoceles, 97.3% were males with a median age of 41 ± 13 years and 51% were smokers. The mean diameter of the pneumatocele was 6.3 ± 2.8 cm; they were more common on the subpleural surface and in the inferior lobe. Thirty patients had ruptured pneumo-hematoceles and developed pneumothorax (81.1%); a total of 26 patients required surgery (70.3%). Lesions measuring 5 cm had a high risk of rupture (OR 6.8, CI 95% 1.1-42); those measuring 3 cm were prone to this complication. For each centimeter that the pneumo-hematocele diameter increases, the OR for rupture increases 1.5.

Conclusions

It appears that post-COVID-19 pneumo-hematocele occurs secondary to encapsulation of blood accumulation inside the lung, as a result of micro-capillary bleeding, with partial reabsorption of blood and subsequent air filling. We recommend surgery for patients with pneumo-hematoceles of 5 cm and those with persistent lesions of 3 cm.

Trial registration

Clinical Trial Registration: NCT05067881.

SUBMITTER: Chavez KV

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8764644 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Background: Ten months after its appearance in December 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has infected more than 25 million patients worldwide. Because children were first identified as potential spreaders of the virus, schools were closed in several countries. However, it rapidly became evident that the number of hospitalized children infected by SARS-CoV-2 was dramatically lower than that of adults. To date, only hypotheses have been raised to explain this difference, so it is of great importance to describe the presentation of this disease among children. Here, we describe a wide spectrum of COVID-19 manifestation in children in a dedicated pediatric unit in France. Methods: Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 who were diagnosed on the basis of either positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR in nasopharyngeal swabs and/or typical aspects in chest-computed tomography (CT) were included between March and May 2020 in Paris. Results: Twenty-three patients were included on the basis of positive RT-PCR (n = 20) and/or typical aspects in CT (n = 4). The median age was 4.9 years [0.1-17.6]. Patients were grouped by age (<2 years old: n = 14, 61%; 2-10 years old: n = 2, 9%; >10 years old: n = 7, 30%). Overweight or obesity was reported in only three patients. At presentation, the most frequent symptom in the overall cohort was fever (n = 18, 78%), followed by acute rhinitis (n = 9, 64%) and cough (n = 7, 50%) in the under 2-year-old group and cough (n = 4, 57%), fatigue, dyspnea and abdominal pain (n = 3, 43% each) in the over 10-year-old group. Five patients required ICU treatment, four of whom were aged >10 years, two presented with acute myocarditis, and two were sickle cell disease patients who presented with acute chest syndrome. Discussion and conclusion: The youngest patients seem to present milder forms of COVID-19 without the need for ICU treatment and with a shorter length of hospitalization. More severe evolutions were observed in teenagers, with, however, favorable outcomes. Given the context of closed schools and confinement, the infection of these children suggests intra-familial transmission that needs to be further assessed. This description might help to understand the intriguing differences in COVID-19 severity across age-classes.