Chest
-
Review Case Reports
How I do it - Lung Ultrasound for Patients with COVID-19 Pulmonary Disease.
Given the general utility of lung ultrasound for the evaluation of respiratory failure in acutely ill patients, it is logical to consider its specific advantages in coronavirus disease 2019-related pulmonary disease. The authors, representing the extensive experience of the North American and European coronavirus disease 2019 epicenters, present an ultrasound scanning protocol and report on the common associated ultrasound findings.
-
A 56-year-old man presented to the lung nodule clinic with abnormal chest imaging prompted by a chronic cough and hemoptysis. Approximately 2.5 years earlier, while kneeling beside his car fixing a flat tire, he fell backwards while holding the tire cap in his mouth, causing him to inhale sharply and aspirate the cap. He immediately developed an intractable cough productive of flecks of blood. ⋯ His symptoms improved transiently with antibiotics and additional narcotics. Ultimately, his chronic cough with intermittent hemoptysis affected his ability to work, and 30 months later he sought medical attention and was diagnosed with pneumonia and reactive airway disease. He was prescribed doxycycline, steroids, inhaled albuterol, and dextromethorphan, with initial improvement, but his symptoms recurred multiple times despite quitting smoking, leading to repeated medication courses.
-
Ivermectin was shown to inhibit severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 replication in vitro, which has led to off-label use, but clinical efficacy has not been described previously. ⋯ Ivermectin treatment was associated with lower mortality during treatment of COVID-19, especially in patients with severe pulmonary involvement. Randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings.