Lung Abscess and Pyothorax in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients: A Single-Center Retrospective Study

Shu Utsumi, MD; Shinichiro Ohshimo, MD, PhD; Junki Ishii, MD; Mitsuaki Nishikimi, MD; Nobuaki Shime, MD, PhD

doi:10.1097/CCE.0000000000000919

Critical Care Explorations (May 2023)

Lung Abscess and Pyothorax in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients: A Single-Center Retrospective Study

Shu Utsumi, MD,
Shinichiro Ohshimo, MD, PhD,
Junki Ishii, MD,
Mitsuaki Nishikimi, MD,
Nobuaki Shime, MD, PhD

Affiliations

Shu Utsumi, MD: All authors: Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, Japan.
Shinichiro Ohshimo, MD, PhD: All authors: Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, Japan.
Junki Ishii, MD: All authors: Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, Japan.
Mitsuaki Nishikimi, MD: All authors: Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, Japan.
Nobuaki Shime, MD, PhD: All authors: Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, Japan.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/CCE.0000000000000919
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 5, no. 5
p. e0919

Abstract

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The mortality rate of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia requiring mechanical ventilation remains high. This study determined the percentage and characteristics of patients who developed lung abscesses or pyothorax and their mortality rates among adult patients with COVID-19 admitted to the ICU who required mechanical ventilation. Of the 64 patients with COVID-19 assessed, 30 (47%) developed ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), of whom 6 (20%) developed pyothorax or lung abscess. There were no statistically significant differences in patient characteristics, treatment after ICU admission, or outcomes between those with and without these complications, except for age. VAP complicated by Lung abscess or pyothorax was caused by a single organism, with Staphylococcus aureus (n = 4) and Klebsiella species (n = 2) being the primary causative agents. Occur infrequently in patients with COVID-19 requiring mechanical ventilation. Large-scale studies are required to elucidate their effects on clinical outcomes.

Published in Critical Care Explorations

ISSN: 2639-8028 (Online)
Publisher: Wolters Kluwer
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Medical emergencies. Critical care. Intensive care. First aid
Website: https://journals.lww.com/ccejournal/pages/default.aspx

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