Spontaneous pneumothorax was more frequently seen in patients with COVID-19 compared to patients without COVID-19, and may be associated with worse outcomes than spontaneous pneumothorax alone or COVID-19 without spontaneous pneumothorax.
The incidence and prevalence of a first-ever spontaneous pneumothorax in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema are increased significantly in men and in Black patients.
Pneumothorax is being reported as a complication of COVID-19, and has higher incidence among men and lower survival among older patients.
Regardless of the type of trauma, type of chest ultrasonography operator, or type of CUS probe used, the overall sensitivity of CUS is superior to supine chest x-ray for diagnosing pneumothorax.
Conservative management with initial observation may be noninferior to immediate interventional management for carefully selected patients with primary spontaneous pneumothorax.
There was a low risk of pneumothorax and catheter misplacement after a ultrasound-guided procedure.
Both chest tube placement and needle aspiration were considered acceptable treatments for primary spontaneous pneumothorax.
Treatment with a small pigtail catheter may shorten the drainage duration and length of hospital stay in patients with spontaneous pneumothorax.
