Chandelier
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
A Case of Severe Neonatal COVID-19 Pneumonia Requiring Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation Without Long-Term Respiratory Sequelae
By stark contrast, most pediatric cases of respiratory illness associated with SARS-CoV-2 are mild: severe pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection is rare in children.
Nevertheless, data reflecting long-term respiratory outcomes in this population are scarce.
This report describes prolonged mechanical ventilation for managing a case of severe neonatal pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2.
The patient, a full-term neonate who developed fever at two days of age, was subsequently diagnosed with moderate acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) secondary to COVID-19.
Mechanical ventilation was administered for three weeks.
Following extubation, the patient’s respiratory condition improved steadily.
He was discharged without apparent sequelae.
At two-year follow-up, he had no respiratory or other systemic sequelae.
To monitor for potential long-term pulmonary damage, we performed serial chest computed tomography (CT) scans and measured serum KL-6 levels.
The latter were elevated during the acute phase (2,600 U/mL) but decreased to 450 U/mL within three months.
CT imaging initially showed ground-glass opacities, which resolved over time.
This case highlights the possibility of full recovery without long-term respiratory complications, even in neonates with severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia requiring prolonged ventilatory support.
This report is among the very few documenting long-term follow-up in this patient population.
Web | DOI | Cureus
Okada, Tomoko; Kimura, Sho; Honda, Takafumi; Yasukawa, Kumi; Takanashi, Jun-Ichi
Abstract
Numerous reports have described severe effects of novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in adults, often accompanied by long-term respiratory sequelae, such as pulmonary fibrosis.By stark contrast, most pediatric cases of respiratory illness associated with SARS-CoV-2 are mild: severe pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection is rare in children.
Nevertheless, data reflecting long-term respiratory outcomes in this population are scarce.
This report describes prolonged mechanical ventilation for managing a case of severe neonatal pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2.
The patient, a full-term neonate who developed fever at two days of age, was subsequently diagnosed with moderate acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) secondary to COVID-19.
Mechanical ventilation was administered for three weeks.
Following extubation, the patient’s respiratory condition improved steadily.
He was discharged without apparent sequelae.
At two-year follow-up, he had no respiratory or other systemic sequelae.
To monitor for potential long-term pulmonary damage, we performed serial chest computed tomography (CT) scans and measured serum KL-6 levels.
The latter were elevated during the acute phase (2,600 U/mL) but decreased to 450 U/mL within three months.
CT imaging initially showed ground-glass opacities, which resolved over time.
This case highlights the possibility of full recovery without long-term respiratory complications, even in neonates with severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia requiring prolonged ventilatory support.
This report is among the very few documenting long-term follow-up in this patient population.
Web | DOI | Cureus