RESUMEN
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic can be a severe illness that leads to morbidity and mortality. With the increasing number of COVID-19 pneumonia survivors, several long-term changes may persist, including abnormal imaging of lung parenchyma. In addition to the clinical course, it is vital to follow up on pulmonary imaging during the post-infectious period, which is not routinely required in other common pulmonary diagnoses. Computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest is an effective and diagnostic tool for pneumonia which gives an insight into structural abnormalities within the lungs, complications, and possible progression of the disease. Several studies have monitored COVID-19 pneumonia and its complications using serial CT chest imaging from the initial phase of infection, hospitalization, and post-discharge. Nonetheless, long-term follow-up imaging data in post-COVID-19 is still limited. We have summarized the findings utilizing a systematic review of the literature regarding COVID-19 pneumonia imaging, including long-term follow-up.
RESUMEN
Tracheomegaly is a medical condition where the tracheal diameter is greater than the upper limits of normal. Tracheomegaly can be classified as primary or secondary. Primary tracheomegaly is usually congenital. Secondary tracheomegaly can be due to multiple causes, including connective tissue disease, infections, autoimmune diseases like sarcoidosis, and prolonged mechanical ventilation. Here, we describe the first reported case of tracheomegaly secondary to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia and COVID-induced interstitial lung disease (ILD). While many cases of tracheomegaly are asymptomatic, patients can have symptoms like cough, dyspnea, hemoptysis, or even respiratory failure. Tracheomegaly is associated with a higher risk of recurrent lower respiratory tract infections, chronic cough, bronchiectasis, and tracheobronchomalacia. Early recognition of COVID-19-induced tracheomegaly can help initial early management and reduce the incidence of infections.
RESUMEN
Although coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection is mainly associated with pneumonia, several non-respiratory complications may also occur. Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is a rare but potentially fatal complication of COVID-19 infection. In order to increase awareness about such life-threatening complications to a large population of patients with otherwise mild COVID-19 infection, we present the clinical course of a 29-year-old unvaccinated female who developed CVST, with eight days of mild COVID-19 infection, that proved fatal despite adequate therapeutic measures. Clinicians should carefully consider the risk of thrombosis in patients who present with COVID-19 infection regardless of the intensity of the disease, including prophylaxis (to reduce the risk of hypercoagulable complications) and treatment beyond discharge. More data and research is needed to identify COVID-19 as an independent risk factor for thromboembolism so that future efforts can be aimed at appropriate management e.g. with prophylactic anticoagulants to avoid such complications. In case of unexplained neurological manifestations in patients with an active or recent COVID-19 infection, early investigations for cerebrovascular integrity should be done by using MRI and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA)/magnetic resonance venography (MRV).
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: During the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an unfounded fervor surrounding the use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and tocilizumab (TCZ); however, evidence on their efficacy and safety have been controversial. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the overall clinical effectiveness of HCQ and TCZ in patients with COVID-19. We hypothesize that HCQ and TCZ use in these patients will be associated with a reduction in in-hospital mortality, upgrade to intensive medical care, invasive mechanical ventilation, or acute renal failure needing dialysis. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed to determine the impact of HCQ and TCZ use on hard clinical outcomes during hospitalization. A total of 176 hospitalized patients with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis was included. Patients were divided into two comparison groups: (1) HCQ (n=144) vs no-HCQ (n=32) and (2) TCZ (n=32) vs no-TCZ (n=144). The mean age, baseline comorbidities, and other medications used during hospitalization were uniformly distributed among all the groups. Independent t tests and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to calculate mean differences and adjusted odds ratios with 95% CIs, respectively. RESULTS: The unadjusted odds ratio for patients upgraded to a higher level of care (ie, intensive care unit) (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.19-5.69; P=.003) and reductions in C-reactive protein (CRP) level on day 7 of hospitalization (21% vs 56%, OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.08-0.55; P=.002) were significantly higher in the TCZ group compared to the control group. There was no significant difference in the odds of in-hospital mortality, upgrade to intensive medical care, need for invasive mechanical ventilation, acute kidney failure necessitating dialysis, or discharge from the hospital after recovery in both the HCQ and TCZ groups compared to their respective control groups. Adjusted odds ratios controlled for baseline comorbidities and medications closely followed the unadjusted estimates. CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort of patients with COVID-19, neither HCQ nor TCZ offered a significant reduction in in-hospital mortality, upgrade to intensive medical care, invasive mechanical ventilation, or acute renal failure needing dialysis. These results are similar to the recently published preliminary results of the HCQ arm of the Recovery trial, which showed no clinical benefit from the use of HCQ in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 (the TCZ arm is ongoing). Double-blinded randomized controlled trials are needed to further evaluate the impact of these drugs in larger patient samples so that data-driven guidelines can be deduced to combat this global pandemic.