Shocking images reveal damage in Covid patient, 36, with collapsed lung after coughing for 3 weeks
SHOCKING images have revealed the damaged lung of a Covid-19 patient.
The 36-year-old man had been suffering with a dry cough, fever and shortness of breath for three weeks when he was admitted to hospital.
In the four hours before being rushed to a hospital in London by ambulance, the man reported significantly worsening breathlessness.
This had been linked to chest pain he was experiencing on the left side of his body.
After having X-rays, medics discovered he had a collapsed lung (pneumothorax).
The experts explained that the man had suffered with childhood asthma and been a heavy smoker.
He had no recent history of trauma to the lungs or chest and had never experienced pneumothoraces (gas in the lungs).
The patient worked as a courier and had previously held roles in domestic cleaning.
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The patient said it was "like nothing he ever had before".
Staff at the hospital treated the man in full PPE in a resuscitation cubicle.
Medics said the swift deterioration of the patient could have been a result of isolated Covid-19.
Writing in the the experts added that the "rapid decompensation and unilateral examination findings here point away from this as the primary cause".
They diagnosed the patient with a tension pneumothorax, which is a severe condition that results when air is trapped in the pleural space under positive pressure.
Tension pneumothorax comes second to pneumothorax and happens when a patient's body cannot deal with the pressure.
The experts said it was possibly secondary to underlying Covid-19.
He was treated with immediate emergency needle decompression and a 14-gauge cannula was inserted in the second rib space and mid-clavicular line.
After being admitted to a Covid ward, the patient had his chest drained two days after.
The experts explained: "In view of the history, examination and radiological findings, it is highly likely this patient had been suffering from Covid-19, which was then complicated by a pneumothorax."
HEALTH BURDEN
The experts said that the pandemic has created a huge burden on health services across the world and that because of this - many have relied on standard health protocols.
They added that it is key in cases such as this one that a "detailed patient history" is undertaken in order to examine the route cause of the issue.
The man, thought to have been Spanish, said he was still worried as to what caused his collapsed lung.
In a patient statement he said: "I have never had anything like this before, but I think my father had a history of lung problems secondary to his smoking.
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"I have lived in London for the past 19 years and smoked reasonably heavily for a 5-year period when I first moved here.
"I now feel much better, my pain has gone and my breathing has returned to normal. I am very keen to go home but slightly nervous about the future."
