Systemic gas embolus: a discussion of its pathogenesis in the neonate, with a review of the literature.
We report, a term newborn infant with congenital vocal cord paralysis and congenital viral myocarditis. In her five days of life she developed a pneumomediastinum, pneumopericardium, subcutaneous emphysema, and terminally a pneumothorax and systemic air embolus. This unusual case is used to develop a concept of the pathogenesis of extraventilatory air, and is also represented in diagrammatic form.
D004618:Embolism, Air / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases; D008478:Mediastinal Emphysema / Q000150:complications; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000151:congenital; D011026:Pneumopericardium / Q000150:complications; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000150:complications; D013352:Subcutaneous Emphysema / Q000150:complications; D014826:Vocal Cord Paralysis / Q000151:congenital