Background: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM) and subcutaneous emphysema are rare findings in children. Various etiologies have been reported for SPM, such as foreign body aspiration in infants, especially in those aged less than three years. In addition to the complications associated with foreign body aspiration, SPM may also become a life-threatening condition if left untreated. In the pre...

Tracheobronchial disruption is one of the most severe injuries caused by blunt chest trauma. It may cause airway obstruction and resulting life-threatening respiratory deficiency. However, the clinical presentations are variable and frequently difficult to diagnose. We report a case of a previously healthy 16-year-old man with complete right main bronchial transection sustained after a vehicula...

A 19-year-old male presented to the emergency department with severe hypoxic respiratory distress. He had a history of hyperimmunoglobulin E syndrome (HIES) diagnosed at the age of 24 months. He had recurrent skin abscesses with Staphylococcus aureus and multiple respiratory infections with S. aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. He had also developed bronchiectasis and required left lower lobe l...

BACKGROUND No consensus exists as to whether antibiotic prophylaxis in tube thoracostomy as primary treatment for traumatic chest injuries reduces the incidence of surgical-site and pleural cavity infections. METHODS A systematic literature search was performed according to PRISMA guidelines to identify randomized clinical trials on antibiotic prophylaxis in tube thoracostomy for traumatic ch...

An 850-g female was born at 26 weeks’ gestation. Despite administration of surfactant and use of low-pressure ventilation strategies, the infant developed a right-sided pneumothorax. A chest tube evacuated the pneumothorax, but reaccumulated after its removal, prompting insertion of two additional chest tubes. During placement, the patient began to hemorrhage from the insertion sites. Coagulati...

Evaluation for pneumothorax is an important indication for obtaining chest radiographs in patients who have had trauma, recent cardiothoracic surgery or are on ventilator support. By definition, a persistent pneumothorax constitutes ongoing bubbling of air from an in situ chest drain, 48 h after its insertion. Persistent pneumothorax remains a diagnostic dilemma and identification of potentiall...

BACKGROUND Resuscitation guidelines recommend that chest compressions should continue throughout attempts to place airway devices. Few data support the use of the tracheal tube over supraglottic airway devices (SADs) during cardiopulmonary arrest. This study was designed to evaluate the speed with which different airway devices could be placed with and without interrupting chest compressions. ...

A 71-year-old male with a history of coronary artery bypass surgery 7 years ago underwent a transthoracic needle aspiration biopsy of a pulmonary nodule in the right lung. Three hours later, the patient complained of dyspnea and left sided thoracic pain. The chest x-ray showed bilateral apical pneumothoraces. A second chest x-ray two hours later showed an increase in pneumothorax size on the le...