Introduction
Pneumomediastinum is a rare complication in patients infected with the
severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
Pneumomediastinum typically resolves with conservative management.
Rarely, airway collapse, persistent hemodynamic instability, or
progression to cardiac tamponade may require surgical
intervention.(1, 2) Described here is a unique case of
SARS-CoV-2 infection requiring invasive ventilation that was later
complicated by tension pneumomediastinum, which ultimately required
operative anterior mediastinal and pericardial drainage. The scant
literature on this phenomenon was reviewed, and we discuss the
indications and methods for the first operative management of tension
pneumomediastinum in a patient with the novel coronavirus disease 2019
(COVID-19).(1)