Pneumomediastinum linked to higher mortality in COVID-19 patients

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum occurs in COVID-19 patients and for those who are older is associated with higher mortality rates, according to a study published August 31 in Academic Radiology.

The condition is described as free air within the mediastinum not caused by trauma and tends to be rare, noted a team led by Dr. Anisa Chowdhary of Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences in New Delhi.

"Although the imaging findings and complications of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been reported many times, there are few reports of the prevalence and outcomes of patients with spontaneous pneumomediastinum," the team wrote.

Chowdhary's group evaluated three cases of spontaneous pneumomediastinum and also reviewed 22 case reports that included 35 patients. It found that the condition occurs in COVID-19 patients with a mean age of 56 years and was associated with a 28.5% mortality rate -- a contrast to cases of spontaneous pneumomediastinum not related to COVID-19, which tend to occur in younger people who recover well.

"Spontaneous pneumomediastinum in COVID-19 patients occurs in older patients and is potentially associated with a higher mortality rate," the group concluded. "Further studies are necessary to assess its role as a prognostic marker of poor outcome."