Acute Respiratory Failure Secondary to COVID-19 Viral Pneumonia Managed With Hydroxychloroquine/Azithromycin Treatment

A 74-year-old male was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Medical Center following acute respiratory failure secondary to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) viral pneumonia. The patient had significant comorbidities, including a history of lung and esophageal cancer status-post resection, cerebrovascular accident with neurological deficits, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and peripheral vascular disease. The patient was in septic shock and respiratory failure on admission requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation. Computed tomography (CT) of the chest showed patchy bilateral opacities suspicious for viral pneumonia and the COVID-19 sputum sample sent to the New York Department of Health returned positive. This patient’s comorbidities, along with his age, placed him in the highest risk of mortality for COVID-19. The patient was managed pharmacologically with hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin. By Day 5 of his admission, he improved significantly and was extubated and downgraded from the ICU to the medical floor, pending discharge. This case report provides anecdotal evidence for the effectiveness of the hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin combination currently being used across the nation to manage COVID-19, pending development of a definitive vaccine or antiviral treatment