Wedge Resection and Optimal Solutions for Invasive Pulmonary Fungal Infection and Long COVID Syndrome—A Case Report and Brief Literature Review

Abstract

A rise in fungal infections has been observed worldwide among patients with extended hospital stays because of the severe infection caused by the new coronavirus pandemic. A 62-year-old female patient was admitted with a severe form of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and spent four weeks in the intensive care unit (ICU) requiring mechanical ventilation support before being moved to a tertiary hospital for further testing. Aspergillus fumigatus filamentous fungus, Candida spp., and positive bacteriology for multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirabilis were identified by bronchial aspirate cultures. The patient’s progress was gradually encouraging while receiving oral antifungal and broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy along with respiratory physical therapy; but ultimately, thoracic surgery was necessary. Long-lasting tissue damage and severe, persistent inflammatory syndrome were the two main pathophysiological mechanisms that led to significant outcomes regarding lung lesions that were rapidly colonized by fungi and resistant flora, cardiac damage with sinus tachycardia at the slightest effort, and chronic inflammatory syndrome, which was characterized by marked asthenia, myalgias, and exercise intolerance.

Keywords

• invasive pulmonary aspergillosis
• long COVID-19
• diabetes
• chest imaging
• candidiasis
• immunosuppression