Tension hydrothorax in a patient with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonitis and pleural Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Abstract

Unilateral pleural effusions are uncommonly reported in patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonitis. Herein, we report a case of a 42-year-old woman who presented to hospital with worsening dyspnoea on a background of a 2-week history of typical SARS-CoV-2 symptoms. On admission to the emergency department, the patient was severely hypoxic and hypotensive. A chest radiograph demonstrated a large left-sided pleural effusion with associated contralateral mediastinal shift (tension hydrothorax) and typical SARS-CoV-2 changes within the right lung. She was treated with thoracocentesis in which 2 L of serosanguinous, lymphocyte-rich fluid was drained from the left lung pleura. Following incubation, the pleural aspirate sample tested positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This case demonstrates the need to exclude non-SARS-CoV-2-related causes of pleural effusions, particularly when patients present in an atypical manner, that is, with tension hydrothorax. Given the non-specific symptomatology of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonitis, this case illustrates the importance of excluding other causes of respiratory distress.