Video-assisted surgical diagnosis and pleural adhesion management in catamenial pneumothorax: A case and literature review.

Catamenial pneumothorax is a rare primary spontaneous pneumothorax associated with the menstrual phase and is the most common manifestation of thoracic endometriosis syndrome. We report a case of a 32-year-old woman with a history of endometriosis who presented to the emergency ward with a chief complaint of dyspnea and right-sided chest pain, and a chest X-ray showed a right pneumothorax. Initial management was by placing a chest tube to expand the right lung. The patient underwent a video-assisted thoracoscopy and talc pleurodesis, during which we found multiple perforations in the tendinous part of the diaphragm. A partial resection of the tendinous part of the diaphragm was done. Our review indicated that primary spontaneous pneumothorax in women should be suspected as catamenial pneumothorax due to thoracic endometriosis. The gold standard procedure for diagnosis and treatment is surgery. Hormonal therapy is an effective choice to prevent and reduce post-operative recurrence.

Bronchoscopy Findings of Severe and Critical COVID-19 Patients Treated in ICU: A Year of Experience in a Developing Country.

Background: Bronchoscopy procedure in patients with COVID-19 poses significant challenges, especially in a developing country with limited resources. Objectives: We aim to describe the clinical characteristics of severe and critical COVID-19 patients treated in an intensive care unit (ICU) and their bronchoscopy findings. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of clinical data of ICU patients with COVID-19 treated and received bronchoscopy procedures. This study retrospectively included all consecutive patients who underwent bronchoscopy at a teaching hospital in Depok, Indonesia, from May, 2020, until May, 2021. Results: A total of 57 bronchoscopy procedures in 54 patients were performed in this study. Primary procedure indications were retained mucus (68.4%) and ventilatory support weaning failure (15.8%). Bronchoscopic findings were mostly hyperaemic mucosa (95.00%) and purulent secretion (50.90%). Microbiological findings from bronchoalveolar samples were Acinetobacter baumanii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Candida albicans (33.3%, 26.6%, and 10.5%, respectively). The most common fungal isolated were Candida albicans (28%), followed by Candida tropicalis (16%) and Aspergillus sp. (8%). The overall length of hospital stay was 24 days, and the in-ICU stay was 22.06 ± 10.99 days. The patients' survival of 28-days postprocedural outcome was 25.9% (14 subjects). Follow-up found that 20.4% of patients survived after sixty days of hospitalization. Conclusion: Diagnostic and therapeutic bronchoscopy in ICU patients with COVID-19 was safe and feasible to perform in developing countries with limited resources. It could help bronchial mucous clearance and confirm microbiological infection. The procedures should be strictly performed for patients with indications and comply with safety standards.