Rafael Poniachik1, Maximiliano Rosenkranz1, Warner Larrondo2, Juan Castellaro2, Gonzalo Diaz2 and Felipe Cichero2,3*
1Orthopaedic Resident, Clínica Dávila, Universidad de los Andes, Santiago, Chile
2Shoulder and Elbow Surgeon, Clínica Dávila, Santiago, Chile
3Chief of Shoulder and Elbow Unit, Clínica Dávila, Santiago, Chile
*Corresponding Author: Felipe Cichero, Shoulder and Elbow Surgeon and Chief of Shoulder and Elbow Unit, Clínica Dávila, Santiago, Chile.
Received: November 20, 2020; Published: December 10, 2020
Introduction: Peripheral neuropathy that compromises the brachial plexus have multiple causes. The prone position used in the management of patients with acute distress respiratory syndrome secondary to COVID-19 infection could cause injury to the brachial plexus.
Case Report: We report the case of a 62 year-old man who presented severe shoulder dysfunction after been managed for 7 days in prone position while receiving invasive mechanical ventilation in an intensive care unit. The patient was managed with neurorehabilitation, oral vitamin B complex and pregabalin with progressive but slow progress.
Discussion: The SARS-CoV-2 infection physiopathology on the peripheral nerve system is still not fully understood. Patients in the intensive care unit are susceptible to develop injuries to the brachial plexus mostly caused by the position of upper extremities. Prolonged use of prone position in patients with acute distress respiratory syndrome managed with invasive mechanical ventilation could cause injury to the brachial plexus. We stress the importance of actively looking for these injuries and take all the measures to prevent them.
Keywords: Prone Position; Brachial Plexus; Peripheral Nerve Injury; SARS-Cov-2 Infection
Citation: Felipe Cichero., et al. “Brachial Plexus Injury Secondary to Prolonged Prone Position in COVID-19 Pneumonia: Case Report".Acta Scientific Orthopaedics 4.1 (2021): 19-22.
Copyright: © 2021 Felipe Cichero., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.