Rescue of COVID-19 Patient Complicated by Spontaneous Pneumothorax and Acute Pulmonary Thromboembolism

Pulmonary thromboembolism is a common cardiovascular disease, with high morbidity and mortality rates in hospitalized patients. Because of clotting disorders and hypoxemia caused by COVID-19, critically ill patients are highly susceptible to thrombotic complications. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2022 showed that the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in critically ill COVID-19 patients was approximately 10% to 35%, whereas the incidence of VTE in autopsy cases was as high as 60% (JAMA Intern Med 182:1063-1070). Clinicians need increased awareness of VTE in COVID-19 patients, to reduce the risk of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary thromboembolism and to be alert to life-threatening complications.