Unilateral foot drop due to prone positioning in COVID‐19: A case report

Abstract

Key Clinical Message Understanding the complications arising from prone positioning following mechanical ventilation during management of acute respiratory distress from COVID‐19. Abstract Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) resulting from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) has been one of the well‐known complications of the disease since it was first reported in 2020. Mechanical ventilation for severe ARDS has been widely utilized for the management of such patients. Prone positioning (PP) is associated with improved oxygenation and overall outcomes in both intubated and non‐intubated patients. However, there are several complications associated with this procedure, including compressive neuropathies. In this article, we report a case of unilateral foot drop following mechanical ventilation and PP during the management of ARDS from COVID‐19.

Keywords

• complications
• compressive neuropathy
• COVID‐19
• foot drop
• mechanical ventilation
• prone positioning