Introduction
Since the end of 2019, severe acute respiratory distress syndrome
coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread worldwide. More than 1 billion
people have been affected, and more than 2.5 million people have
died1.
Although it is a rare complication, some cases of pneumothorax in
coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have been reported. Generally, barotrauma
of the ventilator is considered to be a well-known cause of
pneumothorax, with diffuse alveolar injury due to pneumonia contributing
to it. In February 2020, under the governance of Kanagawa prefecture,
Japan, we started the treatment of COVID-19 patients, and in May 2020,
we made a field hospital for COVID-19 patients. Patients who needed
intubation were sent to another hospital that treated severely ill
patients. This is the first report on
the incidence and clinical
features of patients with pneumothorax among non-ventilated patients
with COVID-19, excluding the influence of a ventilator.