Coronavirus patients at increased risk of collapsed lung, study finds

Coronavirus patients are at increased risk of a collapsed lung, with about one in 100 of those admitted to hospital suffering the complication, a new study has found.  

The condition, known as pneumothorax and also sometimes called a punctured lung, occurs when pockets of air get into the space between the lungs and the inside of the ribcage. This then puts pressure on the lungs and can prevent them from fully expanding.

Researchers in Cambridge examined medical records from 71 Covid-19 patients in Britain who experienced a collapsed lung.  

None of them fell into the standard at risk groups for the condition, which typically affects those with serious underlying lung diseases or very tall young men.  

The scientists concluded cysts forming inside the lungs because of coronavirus was probably behind the development of a collapsed lung, and said medics treating Covid-19 patients needed to be on the lookout.

"Doctors need to be alert to the possibility of a punctured lung in patients with Covid-19, even in people who would not be thought to be typical at-risk patients,” said Stefan Marciniak from the Cambridge Institute of Medical Research, one of the study’s authors.

"Many of the cases we reported were found incidentally - that is, their doctor had not suspected a punctured lung and the diagnosis was made by chance."

Symptoms of pneumothorax include breathlessness and a sudden, stabbing pain on one side of the chest while breathing in. Ordinarily, it is diagnosed by a chest x-ray or CT scan, and severe cases are treated by draining the trapped air with a needle or a chest drain.  

Admissions data examined the researchers from 16 hospitals showed about 1 per cent of coronavirus patients developed a collapsed lung, and less than two-thirds of those (63 per cent) survived.

The survival rate for those under 70 was significantly higher – 71 per cent – than for more elderly patients.  

Intriguingly, men were three times more likely to experience pneumothorax than women, and patients with acidic blood, which can sometimes be caused by poor lung function, also had worse outcomes, the study suggested.  

Dr Anthony Martinelli, a respiratory doctor at Addenbrooke's Hospital and the lead author of the study, said: "Although a punctured lung is a very serious condition, Covid-19 patients younger than 70 tend to respond very well to treatment.

"Older patients or those with abnormally acidic blood are at greater risk of death and may therefore need more specialist care."

Additional reporting by Press Association