Chest Tube Drainage in the Age of COVID-19 #MMPMID33263088
Dhanasopon AP; Zurich H; Preda A
Physician Assist Clin 2021[Apr]; 6 (2): 261-265 PMID33263088show ga
Patients with COVID-19 are at risk of developing acute respiratory distress syndrome requiring invasive mechanical ventilation. Barotrauma in these patients often leads to clinically significant pneumothorax, which necessitates chest tube thoracostomy. However, given the mode of transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus and the aerosolizing nature of the procedure, special considerations and care must be taken to mitigate the exposure risks to health care personnel. This article discusses the risk mitigation strategies proposed and under review at the authors' institution.