LONG COVID/ POST COVID PATIENT GETS A NEW LEASE OF LIFE AT MANIPAL HOSPITALS, GOA

A Post Covid Patient gets a new lease of life at Manipal Hospitals, Goa, after successfully sealing a lung punctured following Covid-19-related complications. Dr Prabhu Prasad N.C., Interventional Pulmonologist, headed a team consisting of Dr Rakesh Deshmane, and Dr Divya Mahaldar, as well as Bronchoscopy technicians - Mr Karthick, Mr. Govind, and Mr. Sarvesh. They successfully sealed the punctured lung of the patient who was suffering from lung leakage. He was relieved from the chest tube that had been attached for the last six months to manage the air leakage.

According to the Multicenter Study European Respiratory Journal, 1 in 100 hospitalized COVID-19 patients experience a punctured lung, which is another common complication of severe COVID-19 infection, apart from the most talked-about post-COVID-19 fibrosis. The condition is called Pneumothorax. A Pneumothorax occurs when air leaks into the space between the lung and chest wall, causing the lung to collapse. The symptoms usually include sudden chest pain and shortness of breath which can lead to life-threatening events.

Speaking about the treatment, Dr Prabhu Prasad N.C., said, “Mr RS was diagnosed with severe COVID-19 infection in the month of March, requiring ICU admission with very high oxygen intake and non-invasive ventilator support. During the course of hospital admission elsewhere, he developed sudden lung leakage/punctured lung requiring insertion of a chest tube to drain the air resulting from leakage.”

“Normally, such a leakage seals on its own in about a week, letting doctors remove the chest tube. But in his case, the leakage did not stop resulting in the trapped lung. When thoroughly examined here at Manipal, we decided to do a combined Thoracoscopic and Bronchoscopic technique of sealing the lung leakage with a non-operative procedural approach. We were able to successfully seal the puncture and remove the chest tube at the same time,” he added.