@article{Marciniak_S-2021_36429,
title = {COVID-19 Pneumothorax in the United Kingdom:a prospective observational study using the ISARIC WHO clinical characterisation protocol},
author = {Marciniak, S. and Farrell, J. and Rostron, A. and Smith, I. and Openshaw, P. and Baillie, J. and Docherty, A. and Semple, M.},
month = {jun},
year = {2021},
abstract = {Pneumothorax is an important complication of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) [1,2]. Based on a series of 60 individuals, we previously estimated that 0.91% of people admitted to hospital with COVID-19 develop pneumothorax [1]. Males accounted for three quarters of those affected, and patients requiring noninvasive or invasive ventilatory support appeared at elevated risk. In a separate series of ventilated patients with COVID-19, barotrauma, defined as pneumothorax or pneumomediastinum, was found to be an independent risk for death [2]. During the pandemic, treatment strategies have evolved, influenced by large randomised controlled trials and clinical experience. Following the landmark results from the RECOVERY trial [3], dexamethasone became standard of care for patients requiring supplemental oxygen. Following the first UK wave between March and June 2020, use of noninvasive respiratory support became more common [4,5]. Such changes could plausibly alter the incidence of pneumothorax caused by COVID-19. Indeed, a recent small study reported an increase in pneumothoraces in the second wave of COVID-19 in Italy, leading to speculation that dexamethasone use might have been causal},
volume = {58},
journal = {European Respiratory Journal},
publisher = {European Respiratory Society},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.00929-2021},
}
