Spontaneous Pneumomediastinum without Pneumothorax in Non-ventilated COVID-19 Pneumonia: A Case Report

ABSTRACT

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM) is among the rare complications of Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) and usually involves patients with a severe form of disease who are undergoing treatment with invasive/non-invasive ventilation or high-flow oxygen therapy. A very low percentage of SPM cases are detected in non-ventilated COVID-patients, the underlying causes of which are still to be understood. We report here on the case of a 65-year-old patient with no clinical history of cardiovascular or pulmonary disease who developed SPM within a few days following hospital admission. SPM was detected on chest CT-angiography, and was unrelated to high-flow oxygen treatment.