• Ryu Sugimoto, Tsuneaki Kenzaka, Moemi Fujikawa, Satoru Kawasaki, and Hogara Nishisaki.
• Department of Internal Medicine, Hyogo Prefectural Tamba Medical Center, Tanba, JPN.
• Cureus. 2020 Jun 15; 12 (6): e8626.

AbstractCOVID-19 can lead to severe pneumonia, requiring mechanical ventilation. While increased sputum secretion could cause airway obstruction during mechanical ventilation, there are few reported cases in the literature. We report a case of a 65-year-old man with diabetes and severe COVID-19 pneumonia requiring mechanical ventilation and treated with hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, nafamostat, and prone positioning. Initially, mechanical ventilation consisted of a heat moisture exchanger, endotracheal tube aspiration, and subglottic secretion drainage using a closed suction system. However, endotracheal tube impaction by highly viscous sputum occurred during this mechanical ventilation system. Replacing the endotracheal tube, the use of a humidifier instead of a heat moisture exchanger, and prone positioning contributed to the patient being weaned off mechanical ventilation. Although anti-aerosol measures are important for severe COVID-19 pneumonia, attention should be given to potential endotracheal tube impaction during mechanical ventilation.Copyright © 2020, Sugimoto et al.

6 keywords...

hide…