Occult paraquat poisoning causing pneumomediastinum and organizing pneumonia.

Pneumomediastinum is not an uncommon manifestation of lung toxicity in acute paraquat ingestion. The condition is almost invariably seen with other lung parenchymal abnormalities such as consolidations, ground-glass opacities and interlobular septal thickening. The diagnosis may be challenging in cases with no history of toxin exposure, presentation with a subacute illness and/or absence of typical local or systemic features of paraquat toxicity.

Pneumomediastinum: Experience with 87 Patients.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present series was first to present our experience in the management of 37 patients with spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM), and further to indicate the necessity of identifying true SPM cases as they are currently inadequately defined. METHODS: This is a single-center, retrospective study, conducted in a university hospital. Consecutive adult patients with pneumomediastinum (PM) between January 2009 and March 2020 were involved in the series. The data about age, gender, symptoms, signs, treatment, length of hospital stay (LOS), and in-hospital mortality were evaluated. RESULTS: In total, 87 cases with pneumomediastinum (37 with spontaneous and 50 with secondary PM) were analyzed. Patients in both groups were of similar ages (P=0.4). Sufferers with secondary PM were more likely to have: an associated pneumothorax (19% vs 58%, P<0.05), a chest tube placed (18.9% vs 58%, P<0.05), an associated pleural effusion (0% vs 18%, P<0.05). They presented with a longer LOS (3.9 vs 5.3 days, P<0.05), and were more likely to die (0% vs 10%, P<0.05). Additionally they showed a higher prevalence of radiologic subcutaneous emphysema (49% vs 74%, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is an onset of clinical importance with a low mortality rate, short LOS and good longterm prognosis. It often presents with chest pain, dyspnea and/or subcutaneous emphysema. However, secondary causes of mediastinal air must be ruled out, due to their potential devastating outcome if not diagnosed promptly. A consensus aimed at an update of the classification guidelines is more than indispensable.

Protracted Labor Complicated by Pneumomediastinum and Subcutaneous Emphysema: A Rare Case Report and Management Considerations.

BACKGROUND Spontaneous pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema (Hamman's syndrome) presents with sudden and life-threatening symptoms. Clinical signs include crackles that synchronize with the heartbeat on chest auscultation (Hamman's sign). This report describes the case of a 29-year-old woman with a protracted second stage of labor at 40 weeks of pregnancy with postpartum dyspnea, acute chest pain, and surgical emphysema due to pneumomediastinum (Hamman's syndrome). CASE REPORT This case report describes the case of a 29-year-old primigravida admitted to the hospital ward for spontaneous labor at 40 weeks of pregnancy. Due to a protracted second stage of labor, the delivery was assisted by Thierry's spatulas. Shortly after delivery, the patient developed dyspnea associated with subcutaneous emphysema in the inferior part of the face, neck, and anterior chest wall. As the clinical evaluation showed no signs of severity, we performed a chest X-ray, which confirmed the diagnosis of pneumomediastinum (Hamman's syndrome), excluded any other life-threatening condition, and led to a conservative treatment approach. CONCLUSIONS This report presents a rare association between protracted labor and Hamman's syndrome and highlights the importance of rapid diagnosis and management. In this case, the postpartum presentation was distinguished from pulmonary embolism, and emergency life-saving management was initiated.

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.

INTRODUCTION: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM) is a rare affection in general population. Only few cases have been reported during this ongoing global pandemic of Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19). The ethipathogeny of this complication is poorly understood. OBSERVATIONS: we reported ten cases of SPM complicating coronavirus pneumonia. There were six me and four women. Age varies from 32 to 66 years. Pneumonia was severe for all cases defined by a bloo oxygen saturation < 90% on admission. All patients were hospitalized in intensive care unit and treated by high-flow oxygen for nine patients and non-rebreather masks for one patient. Repeated chest computed tomography (CT) scan showed resolution of the pneumomediastinum and appearance of signs of pulmonary fibrosis for four cases. CONCLUSIONS: Chest CT scan must be performed in front of any sudden deterioration in respiratory status of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia to not miss mechanical complication such as SPM. This complication seems to be associated with severe forms of COVID-19.

An unusual case of abdominal pain: psychogenic vomiting complicated by spontaneous pneumomediastinum.

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM) was defined by the appearance of free air in the mediastinum that was not preceded by trauma, surgery, or other medical procedures. Among the numerous manifestations of SPM, abdominal pain had seldom been described. CASE PRESENTATION: A 25-year-old man presented to the emergency department with nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain for 7 days. The presenting clinical features and the radiological results were suggestive of psychogenic vomiting with spontaneous pneumomediastinum in a patient who suffered from abdominal pain. CONCLUSIONS: The special feature of this case was the elucidation of a rare cause of abdominal pain, which should be differentiated in patients with vomiting combined with abdominal pain. The importance of this case was that its recognition may prevent unnecessary procedures to rule out or treat other causes of abdominal pain.

[Etiology, diagnosis and treatment strategy of dental therapy-related subcutaneous emphysema].

Subcutaneous emphysema is the local tissue swelling caused by the gas entering the subcutaneous tissue through the tissue gap. Although subcutaneous emphysema is usually a nonfatal and self-limited disease, in severe cases, the gas may spread to the neck, mediastinum and chest, resulting in mediastinal emphysema and other serious complications. This article reviews the etiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, differential diagnosis of subcutaneous emphysema related to dental therapy,and operations that may cause subcutaneous emphysema in stomatology department,as well as the treatment and prognosis of subcutaneous emphysema, with a view to providing some references for dentists.

Management of Air Leaks in the Newborn.

BACKGROUND: Air leaks, especially pulmonary interstitial emphysema (PIE), are increasingly uncommon respiratory complications of the newborn. Despite PIE having a decreasing incidence, it continues to have a high morbidity and mortality rate. This makes PIE one of the most severe respiratory complications to affect a newborn. Air leaks occur when there is overdistension of the terminal airways or alveoli, which results in air dissecting into extra-alveolar spaces. Recognizing the signs of air leaks is paramount to allow for appropriate diagnosis and treatment of the newborn to improve morbidity and mortality. Treatment modalities range from positioning the newborn in the decubitus position to surgical intervention. PURPOSE: To summarize current evidence on the pathophysiology, risk factors, diagnosis, treatment, and management of PIE and pneumothorax. DATA SOURCES: Two databases were systematically reviewed with key words later. Articles in English with date restrictions from 2016 to current were included. STUDY SELECTION: Inclusion criteria of randomized controlled trials, case studies/reports, and review articles were utilized. Twenty articles, primarily case reports and studies, were reviewed. DATA EXTRACTION: Guidelines for data abstraction were followed via independent extraction by a single observer. RESULTS: Qualitative results were utilized to formulate current treatment of air leaks. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This article provides guidance for frontline neonatal providers on current treatment and management of air leaks in the newborn population.

Integrated Chinese herbal medicine and Western medicine successfully resolves spontaneous subcutaneous emphysema and pneumomediastinum in a patient with severe COVID-19 in Taiwan: A case report.

CASE: Serious complications of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) include subcutaneous emphysema (SE) and pneumomediastinum, which are complicated to treat with conventional Western medicine. We report how combining Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) with Western medicine quickly resolved a patient's COVID-19-associated pulmonary complications, shortened hospital stay and improved quality of life. CLINICAL FEATURES AND OUTCOME: A 59-year-old male with a history of smoking and tumors was diagnosed with COVID-19 in May 2021. At hospitalization, his oxygen saturation (SpO2) was 80%, he had a continuous severe cough, rapid shallow breathing, spontaneous SE and pneumomediastinum. By Day 4 of hospitalization, his condition was worsening despite standard care, so CHM was added. After 3-5 days, his coughing had lessened and supplementary oxygen therapy was de-escalated. Nine days after starting CHM, the SE had completely resolved and the patient avoided intubation. His WHO OS 10-point Scale score had fallen from 6 to 3 points and the modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale score from 4 to 2 points. He was hospitalized for 19 days. At 1 week post-discharge, the patient could handle most of his daily activities and experienced minor shortness of breath only when performing labor-intensive tasks. At 1 month, his work output was restored to pre-COVID-19 levels. CONCLUSION: CHM combined with standard Western medicine improved pulmonary function, respiratory rate, blood oxygen saturation and shortened the hospital stay of a patient with severe COVID-19 complicated by SE and pneumomediastinum.

Chest pain from pneumologist point of view.

Chest pain is one of the most common symptoms encountered by doctors working in acute, internal, and pulmonary clinics. In the United States in 2006, 10 percent of all visits to the emergency room were caused by diseases of the respiratory system, and chest pain was the most common symptom. The most common situations that can cause chest pain with an emphasis on their diagnosis and early treatment are chest infections, pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum and tumors affecting the pleural cavity.

Massive Spontaneous Pneumomediastinum-A Form of Presentation for Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia.

For COVID-19 pneumonia, many manifestations such as fever, dyspnea, dry cough, anosmia and tiredness have been described, but differences have been observed from person to person according to age, pulmonary function, damage and severity. In clinical practice, it has been found that patients with severe forms of infection with COVID-19 develop serious complications, including pneumomediastinum. Although two years have passed since the beginning of the pandemic with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and progress has been made in understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the COVID-19 infection, there are also unknown factors that contribute to the evolution of the disease and can lead to the emergence some complications. In this case report, we present a patient with COVID-19 infection who developed a massive spontaneous pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema during hospitalization, with no pre-existing lung pathology and no history of smoking. The patient did not get mechanical ventilation or chest trauma, but the possible cause could be severe alveolar inflammation. The CT results highlighted pneumonia in context with SARS-CoV-2 infection affecting about 50% of the pulmonary area. During hospitalization, lung lesions evolved 80% pulmonary damage associated with pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema. After three months, the patient completely recovered and the pneumomediastinum fully recovered with the complete disappearance of the lesions. Pneumomediastinum is a severe and rare complication in COVID-19 pneumonia, especially in male patients, without risk factors, and an early diagnosis can increase the chances of survival.

[Pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema as complica-tions of COVID-19].

Spontaneous pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema are serious complications of COVID-19 infection caused by SARS-CoV-2, occurring in approximately 1% of hospitalized patients. The risk increases with the accumulation of risk factors, namely moderate or severe illness, high-flow oxygen therapy and noninvasive ventilation. The pathophysiology may be contributed to by patient self-inflicted lung injury. Hypoxia-induced respiratory effort in patients with pneumonia puts an enormous load on certain parts of their lungs, leading to subsequent progression of lung tissue damage. These complications start with destruction of the alveolar membrane, accompanied by emergence of a pulmonary bulla. Rupture of the bulla results in air leaking to the pleural space (pneumothorax). In the case of pneumomediastinum, the air spreads within the peribronchial interstitium along the airways to the mediastinum and subcutaneous tissues (Macklin effect). While pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema resolve spontaneously in most cases, pneumothorax treatment depends on its magnitude. While small pneumothorax may be managed conservatively, large pneumothorax usually requires active treatment with an acute chest drain; the latter is also associated with worse prognosis and a higher chance of death. We report air-leak complications in nine COVID-19 patients, of whom seven had spontaneous pneumothorax and four of them died. Three patients developed spontaneous pneumomediastinum together with subcutaneous emphysema, with two of them surviving. One patient with combination of pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema died. These complications may accompany moderate or severe COVID-19-associated pneumonia, mostly the late phase of the disease. They should be considered when patients complain of sudden chest or back pain or worsening respiratory insufficiency.

[Pneumomediastinum and vomiting: Which approach to diagnosis? A case report]. / Pneumomédiastin et vomissements : quelle démarche diagnostique ? À propos d'un cas.

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM) is a rare and often unrecognized condition of which vomiting is one of the reported triggering factors. Differentiating SPM from Boerhaave's syndrome (pneumomediastinum secondary to esophageal breach) is the first step in management and prognosis. OBSERVATION: A 27-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematous presented to the emergency department with epigastralgia, incoercible vomiting and diarrhoea. Abdominal CT showed circumferential thickening of the duodenum and bilateral ureteritis. Chest sections showed pneumomediastinum extending to the cervical region. Therapeutic management was based on prophylactic antibiotic therapy and an absolute diet (fasting). A CT scan with upper gastrointestinal opacification was performed to prevent esophageal rupture and showed quasi-obstructive thickening of the antral mucosa. The diagnosis was lupus enteritis and pneumomediastinum was secondary to the vomiting efforts. The patient was placed on corticosteroids and a favorable outcome ensued. CONCLUSION: Strenuous vomiting is one of the precipitating factors of SPM. Boerhaave's syndrome is the main differential diagnosis with a poor prognosis, unlike SPM, which has a good prognosis with conservative treatment.

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum, a rare manifestation of clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis.

Clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis (CADM) is a rare condition characterized by dermatomyositis skin lesions without clinically apparent muscle involvement. Respiratory involvement is common, occurring in about half of the cases. Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (PnM) is a rare, and often fatal, complication of CADM. We report a case of a 61-year-old female patient who was diagnosed with anti-melanoma differentiation- associated gene 5 antibody-associated CADM and interstitial lung disease. She developed an extensive spontaneous PnM with subcutaneous emphysema. The patient was treated with a conservative approach which was, initially, successful in reducing the size of the PnM. However, the patient died from an eventual nosocomial pneumonia requiring mechanical ventilation. This case illustrates that improving the management of CADM associated PnM, remains a major unmet need.

A Rare Complication during Vaginal Delivery, Hamman's Syndrome: A Case Report and Systematic Review of Case Reports.

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM) during pregnancy or labor is a rare event. We presented a case report and a systematic review of the literature to provide comprehensive symptoms, treatments, and complications analysis in the pregnant population affected by SPM. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive search of four databases for published papers in all languages from the beginning to 1 September 2021; Results: We included 76 papers with a total of 80 patients. A total of 76% patients were young primiparous, with a median age of 24 ± 5.4 years. The median gestational age was 40 ± 2.4 weeks, with a median duration of labor of 7.4 ± 4.2 h. In 86%, the ethnic origin was not specified. SPM develops in 55% of cases during the second stage of labor. Subcutaneous swelling and subcutaneous emphysema were present in 91.4%. Chest pain and dyspnea were present in 51.4% and 50% of the patients, respectively. We found that 32.9% patients had crepitus, and less common symptoms were dysphonia and tachycardia (14.3% and 14.3%, respectively). Oxygen and bronchodilators were used in 37.7% of the cases. Analgesics or sedatives were administered in 27.1%. Conservative management or the observation was performed in 21.4% and 28.6%, respectively. Antibiotics treatment was offered in 14.3%, whereas invasive procedures such as chest-tube drainage were used in just 5.7% of patients. There were no complications documented in most SPM (70.0%). We found that 16.7% of the SPM developed a pneumothorax and 5% developed a pneumopericardium.; Conclusions: In pregnancy, SPM occurs as subcutaneous swelling or emphysema during the second stage of labor. The treatment is usually conservative, with oxygen and bronchodilators and a low sequela rate. A universal consensus on therapy of spontaneous pneumomediastinum in pregnancy is necessary to reduce the risk of complications.

Spontaneous Pneumothorax in Patients of COVID 19 Pneumonia.

COVID 19 pandemic has put a massive strain on healthcare all over the world. Every day new data is getting released and various complications are being reported in patients of COVID 19 Pneumonia. One such complication is pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum. Both these conditions can lead to an increase in mortality and morbidity in patients with COVID 19 pneumonia. We studied 476 patients of COVID 19 pneumonia at our hospital, out of which 18 (3.78%) had developed pneumothorax and/or pneumomediastinum. While most of these patients were on some form of positive pressure ventilation (invasive/non-invasive), some of them had a HRCT Chest suggestive of either air trapping and/or cyst formation. Three patients had developed bilateral pneumothorax while on non-invasive ventilator. Nine of the 18 patients expired and nine were discharged.Through this article, we would like to emphasize that an acute deterioration in hypoxemia in a COVID-19 patient could indicate a pneumothorax. Pneumothorax as well as pulmonary thromboembolism are reported complications in COVID-19 and clinician vigilance is required during assessment of patients, as both share the common symptom of breathlessness and therefore can mimic each other.

[Spontaneous pneumomediastinum]. / Pneumomédiastin spontané.

INTRODUCTION: Pneumomediastinum, which can be spontaneous or secondary, is defined by the presence of free air in the mediastinum as shown on a chest X-ray and/or chest CT, with or without subcutaneous emphysema. Secondary pneumomediastinum develops in various contexts (thoracic traumatism, perforation of central airway or digestive tract, pneumothorax, barotraumatism complicating mechanical ventilation…). Spontaneous pneumomediastinum , which will be the focus of this review, develops without any of the above-mentioned conditions. STATE OF ART: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is a rare entity which usually occurs in young people either without medical history or with an history of asthma. A trigger event is detected in 40% to 60% of cases. Positive diagnosis is made on chest radiographt but thoracic CT is more sensitive. Distinction between spontaneous pneumomediastinum and secondary pneumomediastinum is in general easy but may sometimes be more difficult, particularly in case of oesophageal perforation. The evolution of spontaneous pneumomediastinum is most often benign but, rare complications may occur. Management is most often conservative. PERSPECTIVES: There is no consensual management of spontaneous pneumediastinum because of the lack of randomized prospective studies. This may be explained by the rarity of the disease. The actual trend is to offer to the patients a conservative treatment, which could be ambulatory in some cases. CONCLUSIONS: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is a rare entity developing mainly in young subjects. The evolution is in general benign, justifying a conservative approach.

Pneumomediastinum: A Rare Complication of Endobronchial Ultrasound Guided Fine Needle Aspiration.

Endobronchial ultrasound guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is a commonly performed outpatient procedure used for the diagnosis, staging of lung cancer, and the evaluation of thoracic lymphadenopathy of unknown origin. With the advent of this minimally invasive technology, mediastinoscopy, once the gold standard, has fallen out of favour. Pneumomediastinum is a rare complication of EBUS-TBNA and can often be managed conservatively. We present a case of a 52-year-old female who developed pneumomediastinum following EBUS-TBNA and improved with expectant management in the emergency department. We discuss the proposed pathophysiology of this rare occurrence that usually follows a benign course. Severe complications, such as mediastinitis and tracheal tear, need to be excluded promptly.