Congestion in the tube: air trapping in a ventilated patient with COVID-19 secondary to mucinous valves.
BMJ Case Rep
; 15(4)2022 Apr 13.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1788927
ABSTRACT
A woman in her 50s was admitted to the intensive therapy unit with acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure secondary to COVID-19 pneumonitis. The patient was intubated on admission and worsening gas exchange necessitated multiple rounds of proning . She later improved, and her ventilation was switched to spontaneous mode. However, the patient started to develop air trapping with subsequent respiratory and cardiovascular compromise. Routine investigations showed no clear cause for her sudden deterioration and a suction catheter passed easily through the endotracheal tube. Bronchoscopy revealed mucinous/phlegmatic membranes had developed across the inner diameter of the endotracheal tube. This had created a one-way valve that allowed positive pressure ventilation through the tube into her lungs but only allowed a fraction of air to passively escape in expiration. This case report highlights a less commonly regarded complication associated with long-term intubation and lack of circuit humidification in the context of productive lung pathology.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Respiratory Insufficiency
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Case report
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
Language:
English
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Bcr-2021-245625
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS