11/401. Spontaneous pneumomediastinum with subcutaneous emphysema: unusual presenting feature of a common condition. Pneumomediastinum refers to the presence of free air in the mediastinum and is frequently associated with subcutaneous emphysema. It is known that a number of medical and surgical conditions may be complicated by pneumomediastinum. However, here we report the case of a young female in whom pneumomediastinum was the presenting feature of a widespread medical condition rather than its complication. ( info) |
12/401. subcutaneous emphysema and pneumomediastinum after dental extraction. Pneumomediastinum, pneumothorax, and subcutaneous emphysema can occur occasionally after a surgical procedure. Facial swelling is a common complication of dental management. The occurrence of subcutaneous emphysema, pneumothorax, and pneumomediastinum after dental procedures is rare. We present a case with subcutaneous emphysema of the upper chest, neck, chin, and pneumomediastinum after a tooth extraction and discuss the possible mechanism of subcutaneous emphysema. To prevent these complications during dental procedures, dental hand pieces that have air coolant and turbines that exhaust air in the surgical field should not be used. ( info) |
| PURPOSE: Videoscopic herniorrhaphy is being performed more frequently with advantages claimed over the conventional open approach. This clinical report describes a pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema occurring at the end of an extraperitoneal videoscopic herniorrhaphy. CLINICAL FEATURES: A 25 yr old ASA I man presented for elective extraperitoneal videoscopic hernia repair. Following intravenous induction with fentanyl, midazolam and propofol a balanced anesthetic technique using enflurane in N2O and O2 was used. Apart from a prolonged operating time (195 min), the procedure and anesthetic was uneventful. At the conclusion of the operation, prior to reversal of neuromuscular blockade extensive subcutaneous emphysema was noted on removal of the surgical drapes. Chest radiography revealed a pneumomediastinum and pneumothorax. A 25 FG intercostal tube was inserted and connected to an underwater seal drain. Sedation and positive pressure ventilation was maintained overnight to permit resolution and avoid airway compromise. The clinical and radiological features had resolved by the next morning and the patient's trachea was extubated. His subsequent recovery was uneventful. CONCLUSION: pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum are well recognised complications of laparoscopic techniques but have not been described following extraperitoneal herniorrhaphy. In this report we postulate possible mechanisms which may have contributed to their development, including inadvertent breach of the peritoneum and leakage of gas around the diaphragmatic herniae or tracking of gas retroperitoneally. The case alerts us to the possibility of this complication occurring in patients undergoing videoscopic herniorrhaphy. ( info) |
14/401. pneumothorax necessitans presenting as a presternal pneumothoracocele. A 31-year-old woman who is an intravenous drug abuser developed sternoclavicular joint infection with mediastinal and subcutaneous tissue abscesses that communicated through an erosion in the manubrium caused by osteomyelitis. Air entrapment from a subsequent apical pneumothorax formed a localized anterior "pneumothoracocele." We referred to this condition as "pneumothorax necessitans," and we suggest including it in the differential diagnosis of anterior chest wall masses. ( info) |
15/401. subcutaneous emphysema of a digit through a pre-existing puncture wound. A case of injection of compressed air into a digit is reported. The air was injected at 50 PSI through a trivial puncture wound sustained some hours previously. The case had a benign course, in comparison to high pressure injection injuries with foreign material. ( info) |
16/401. subcutaneous emphysema following trans-cricothyroid membrane injection of local anesthetic. PURPOSE: To present a case of preoperative subcutaneous emphysema (SCE) as a complication of trans-cricothyroid membrane (TCM) injection of lidocaine for awake intubation. CLINICAL FEATURES: A 48-yr-old man with cervical myelopathy was scheduled for elective cervical discectomy. Airway topical anesthesia consisted of lidocaine pledgets and TCM injection. After successful awake fibreoptic intubation was performed, SCE was noted in the neck region. The main differential diagnosis of preoperative SCE included air leak via the anterior needle track from TCM injection or disruption of mucosal membrane in the aerodigestive tract. The latter was excluded by panendoscopy and an upper GI swallow study. The most likely explanation for SCE was air leak from the anterior needle tract. The subcutaneous emphysema resolved spontaneously without sequella. CONCLUSION: subcutaneous emphysema is a rare but potentially serious complication of TCM injection of lidocaine. Anesthesiologists should be familiar with the differential diagnosis, investigations and management of SCE. ( info) |
| Spontaneous subcutaneous emphysema is a rare and usually benign entity that may occasionally be symptomatic. We report a case of a patient with advanced cancer who developed extensive but asymptomatic subcutaneous emphysema shortly before death. Perforation of the lower gastrointestinal tract, perhaps as a result of straining due to severe unrelieved constipation or due to fistula formation, is suspected to have been the mechanism. The causes, treatment, and implications for management of this condition are discussed. ( info) |
| An adolescent female underwent bone marrow transplantation for relapsed leukemia and developed acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease and idiopathic pneumonia syndrome. Her lung disease responded to large doses of methylprednisolone but evolved to pulmonary fibrosis and pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema in the convalescent period. Pulmonary function tests revealed a restrictive pattern. Pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema are complications not only of obstructive but also of restrictive lung disease and vary with respect to time of onset. ( info) |
| Tracheocutaneous fistula is seen frequently in decannulated children and respiratory complications associated with primary surgical closure can be potentially fatal. cough is a precipitating factor for an air leak and we report two cases in which this occurred. A tracheotomy was performed on a 5-month-old girl for mechanical ventilation. Decannulation was successful at the first attempt. One year later, she presented with a persistent tracheo-cutaneous fistula. After surgical closure without drainage, she developed subcutaneous emphysema during a coughing episode. sutures were removed. A 9-month-old boy presented with oxygen-dependence after lung disease and a tracheotomy was performed for respiratory support. Decannulation was successful at the first attempt 6 months later. He developed a pneumomediastinum after surgical closure of a tracheo-cutaneous fistula. sutures were removed but replacement of a tracheotomy tube was required. In both cases the wounds were allowed to heal by secondary intention. ( info) |
| A 46-year-old man developed respiratory distress with air leak syndrome (ALS), including pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, and subcutaneous emphysema. Open lung biopsy was performed and revealed the histopathologic evidence of bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP), which responded well to steroid treatment. As far as we know, this appears to be the first case of BOOP presenting with ALS as one of its major complications. ( info) |