Injury-prone: peripheral nerve injuries associated with prone positioning for COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome

Abstract

Patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who require invasive mechanical ventilation frequently meet the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) diagnostic criteria. Hospitals based in the United States have been incorporating prone positioning (PP) into the COVID-19-related ARDS treatment plan at a higher rate than normal. Here, we describe 11 patients admitted to a single inpatient rehabilitation hospital who were subsequently diagnosed with acquired focal/multifocal peripheral nerve injury (PNI) in association with the use of PP for COVID-19-related ARDS. The reason for the high rate of PNI associated with PP in COVID-19 ARDS is likely multifactorial, but may include an underlying state of hyperinflammation and hypercoagulability already linked to other the neurological sequelae of COVID-19. Physicians must be aware of this elevated susceptibility to PNI in severe COVID-19 and refined standard PP protocols in order to reduce the risk.