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Case Reports
. 2021 Mar;38(Supplement):S69-S71.
doi: 10.4103/lungindia.lungindia_914_20.

Use of endobronchial valve to treat COVID-19 adult respiratory distress syndrome-related alveolopleural fistula

Vikas Pathak  1 , John Waite  1 , Som Nath Chalise  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Use of endobronchial valve to treat COVID-19 adult respiratory distress syndrome-related alveolopleural fistula

Vikas Pathak et al. Lung India. 2021 Mar.

Abstract

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia is one of the severe and most dreaded forms of illness caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. It often progresses to respiratory failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) requiring mechanical ventilation. ARDS can lead to multiple complications while on mechanical ventilation due to positive airway pressures in a fibrotic lung, one such complication is the development of alveolopleural fistula. Alveolopleural fistula has high morbidity and mortality. We used endobronchial valve in a patient with COVID-19-related ARDS with persistent air leak (alveolopleural fistula), which allowed us to remove the chest tube and wean the patient successfully off mechanical ventilation.

Keywords: Alveopleural fistula; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; acute respiratory distress syndrome; bronchopleural fistula; endobronchial valves.

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Conflict of interest statement

None

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Computed tomography chest: On the day of admission (a) and 4 weeks later (b)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Arrows showing endobronchial valves
Figure 3
Figure 3
Bronchoscopic view of endobronchial valves
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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