Barotrauma and its complications in COVID-19 patients: a retrospective study at tertiary care hospital of Eastern India

BACKGROUND: The development of barotrauma in COVID-19 patients who were ventilated and admitted to the intensive treatment unit seemed to have been a problematic issue in the COVID era. This study aimed to explore the possibility of developing the barotrauma-related issues with mechanical ventilation in the cases of individuals suffering from COVID-19. RESULTS: Out of 48 patients who developed barotrauma, 30 (62.5%) presented with pneumothorax, 22 (45.8%) with pneumomediastinum, 10 (20.8%) with subcutaneous emphysema, and 2 (4.1%) with pneumopericardium. Of those that developed barotrauma, 45 (93.7%) patients were in acute respiratory distress syndrome. In patients with and without barotrauma, significant factors were white blood cell count (p = 0.001), neutrophil percentage (p = 0.012), and lymphocyte percentage (p = 0.014). There were no statistically significant differences in CRP, procalcitonin, d-dimer test, LDH, or ferritin. CONCLUSIONS: Patients infected with COVID-19 have a high risk of barotrauma when on mechanical ventilation. As a result, the death rate in this patient group is higher.