Papers of the Week

Pulmonary cavitation is an atypical finding in COVID-19 patients. In this rare case report, a 63-year-old woman (35 days from COVID-19 symptom onset) presented to our emergency department with acute chest pain and shortness of breath. A chest X-ray established right-sided total pneumothorax, hence a tube thoracostomy was performed. Due to a persistent air leak, chest computed tomography was performed, which showed areas of lung consolidation and a cavitary mass in the upper lobe of the right lung. The woman undertook a thoracoscopy, which established multiple petechiae on the lung surface and a bronchopleural fistula of the right lung's upper lobe. The treatment of choice was an atypical lung resection to remove the necrotic cavitary lesion. Histological and microbiological examination of the resected lung specimen showed a bland (aseptic) cavitary pulmonary infarct. Pulmonary infarction is a rare cause of cavitation in COVID-19 patients, nonetheless, something that should be considered in those presenting with respiratory symptoms or complications during or post-COVID-19.