DOI: 10.36347/sjmcr.2022.v10i08.011

Pages: 789-797

Introduction: Since December 2019, several cases of unknown-origin pneumonia started to be diagnosed in Wuhan, China. One month later, The World Health Organization (WHO) recognized the responsible pathogen as the 2019 novel coronavirus and the global catastrophe has since been a major mortality cause up until today. We report the first surgical series of five patients with COVID-19 who had empyema thoracic after bilateral interstitial COVID-19 pneumonia, presenting a complex medical challenge in Malaysia. Method: Single centre, retrospective study and collection of data done via EHIS system on 5 patients in cardiothoracic surgery department in 2021. Conclusion: This report highlights the importance of rare complications such as empyema after COVID-19 pneumonia and the need for continued monitoring for this complication in patients who fail to improve during their hospital stay clinically. COVID-19 pneumonia appeared as typical viral pneumonia on thin-section CT. Accurate identification of CT imaging manifestations may help in the precise staging of the disease for clinical diagnosis and treatment. The outcome of these effusions is related to the interval between the onset of clinical symptoms and presentation to the physician, comorbidities, and time management. The primary treatment of pleural empyema is a course of a single or a combination of antibiotics. However, an early antibiotic treatment alone is usually not enough if it progresses to a complicated PPE and empyema. The majority of cases require surgical treatment with drainage of the pleural cavity.