Incidence of Barotrauma Following Mechanical Ventilation in Patients With COVID-19 Admitted to the ICUs of Two Selected Hospitals in Rasht, Iran

In the treatment process of hospitalized patients with COVID-19, one of the threatening complications is pulmonary complications such as barotrauma.

This study aims to investigate the prevalence of barotrauma in COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units (ICU) of two hospitals in Rasht, Iran.

This retrospective study was conducted on COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICUs of Razi and Poursina hospitals in Rasht in 2020. Their files were studied, and their demographic/clinical data and pulmonary complications were extracted using a checklist by an anesthesia resident. 

Out of 140 patients, 81(57.9%) received non-invasive mechanical ventilation and 59(42.1%) had invasive ventilation. Barotrauma was observed in 9 cases (6.4%), 8(88.9%) in the form of pneumothorax and one (11.1%) in the form of both pneumothorax and subcutaneous emphysema. The results showed that the incidence of barotrauma was significantly higher among patients who received invasive mechanical ventilation (P=0.003). No significant difference was observed among patients received non-invasive ventilation (P>0.05). 

The prevalence of barotrauma among COVID-19 patients in the study hospitals is low, which indicates the proper performance of the attending physicians and compliance with the standard guidelines.