ABSTRACT
Background: Tracheal stenosis (TS) is associated with prolonged intubation and inflammation due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, longer times of mechanical ventilation have been required, and different tracheostomies beyond 10 to 12 days have been made. All of these have increased the number of cases and complexity of tracheal pathology in patients with severe COVID-19 infection. Methods: A retrospective, chart review, from patients who were managed in the Service of Thoracic Surgery of Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen National Hospital, Lima, Peru, with a diagnosis of TS, tracheo-esophageal fistula and tracheomalacia between June 2020 until May 2021. Results: Sixty-three patients were diagnosed with TS because of prolonged intubation due to COVID-19 infection. Mean hospitalization time in the intensive care unit (ICU) was 30 days. Mean mechanical ventilation time was 25 days. The most frequent anatomical localization of TS was upper and middle third (55.6%), upper third (44.4%). Fifty-three patients (84.1%) had TS between 1-4 cm, and ten patients (15.9%) had TS longer than 4 cm. Most patients with TS were classified with Cotton-Myer grade III (88.9%). Conclusions: We report a retrospective study of 63 patients with a diagnosis of TS, in whom corrective surgery was performed: cervical tracheoplasty, Montgomery T tube, or tracheostomy.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To describe the form of severe clinical presentation of SARS-COV-2 infection in the early phase, also the timely treatment of COVID-19 pneumonia in postoperative pulmonary lobectomy. METHOD: Case report where the data were extracted from the clinical history and is in accordance with the SCARE 2018 criteria. DESCRIPTION OF THE CASE: A 36-year-old man, with no significant history, who presented fever and mucopurulent expectoration of 1 month of evolution, received antibiotics for 4 weeks without response to treatment. Chest tomography shows cystic image with heterogeneous content in the left lower lobe. We decided to opt for surgery, previously 1 PCR in RT and 7 serological tests for COVID-19 were performed, the result of which was non-reactive. In the postoperative period, the patient developed fever and dyspnea on mild exertion, so a new serological test for COVID-19 was performed: IgM/IgG reactive, in addition chest tomography showed both lungs with "cracy paving" pattern. DISCUSSION: The serological tests did not contribute to a timely diagnosis of COVID-19 and generated confusion. We used oxygen therapy, broad spectrum antibiotics since the diagnosis of COVID-19. Likewise, respiratory physiotherapy was intensified even after discharge. CONCLUSION: The early diagnosis and use of antibiotics at doses of sepsis, associated with corticosteroid pulses and respiratory physiotherapy improve COVID-19 pneumonia in postoperative lung surgery.