RESUMEN
Objectives: Pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum are associated with high mortality in invasively ventilated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients; however, the mortality rates among non-intubated patients remain unknown. We aimed to analyze the clinical features of COVID-19-associated pneumothorax/pneumomediastinum in non-intubated patients and identify risk factors for mortality. Methods: We searched PubMed Scopus and Embase from January 2020 to December 2021. We performed a pooled analysis of 151 patients with no invasive mechanical ventilation history from 17 case series and 87 case reports. Subsequently, we developed a novel scoring system to predict in-hospital mortality; the system was further validated in multinational cohorts from ten countries (n = 133). Results: Clinical scenarios included pneumothorax/pneumomediastinum at presentation (n = 68), pneumothorax/pneumomediastinum onset during hospitalization (n = 65), and pneumothorax/pneumomediastinum development after recent COVID-19 treatment (n = 18). Significant differences were not observed in clinical outcomes between patients with pneumomediastinum and pneumothorax (±pneumomediastinum). The overall mortality rate of pneumothorax/pneumomediastinum was 23.2%. Risk factor analysis revealed that comorbidities bilateral pneumothorax and fever at pneumothorax/pneumomediastinum presentation were predictors for mortality. In the new scoring system, i.e., the CoBiF system, the area under the curve which was used to assess the predictability of mortality was 0.887. External validation results were also promising (area under the curve: 0.709). Conclusions: The presence of comorbidity bilateral pneumothorax and fever on presentation are significantly associated with poor prognosis in COVID-19 patients with spontaneous pneumothorax/pneumomediastinum. The CoBiF score can predict mortality in clinical settings as well as simplify the identification and appropriate management of patients at high risk.
RESUMEN
Since the first reported case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in December 2019, the numbers of confirmed cases and deaths have continued to increase exponentially despite multi-factorial efforts. Although various attempts have been made to improve the level of evidence for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment over the past 10 years, most experts still hesitate to take an active position on whether to apply ECMO in COVID-19 patients. Several ECMO management guidelines have been published recently, but they reflect some important differences from the Korean medical system and aspects of real-world medical practice in Korea. We aimed to find evidence on the efficacy of ECMO for COVID-19 patients by reviewing the published literature and to propose expert recommendations by analyzing the Korean COVID-19 ECMO registry data.