Citation Information :
Ravi P, Amalnath D. Spontaneous Alveolar Air Leak Syndromes in COVID-19 Patients: A Case Series. Indian J Chest Dis Allied Sci 2023; 65 (3):163-166.
The spectrum of spontaneous alveolar air leak (AAL) syndromes (AAS) includes pneumomediastinum, pneumothorax, and subcutaneous emphysema. These syndromes have been recently reported to be an uncommon complication in patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. These syndromes were found in patients with other viral respiratory diseases, such as SARS, MERS, and H1N1. The pathophysiology of which is mostly unknown but has been attributed to the diffuse alveolar injury which leads to alveolar rupture and air leak. Here, we present a case series of 11 patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who had alveolar air leak syndromes. All 11 patients had severe COVID and raised inflammatory markers. Most of them developed air leak syndromes when they were not on invasive or noninvasive ventilation. About 7 out of 11 patients expired. This case series is hereby presented because of the rarity of these complications, that is, on an extensive search of the literature, less than 20 cases of alveolar air leak syndromes in COVID-19 have been reported.
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