title: Pneumo-thorax/mediastinum/(retro)peritoneum/ scrotum - a full house of complications following JET ventilation.
abstract: We present a patient who presented to our clinic with airway obstruction secondary to oropharygeal cancer. He underwent emergent tracheostomy with JET ventilation, the latter resulting in a "full house" of barotraumatic complications including pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, pneumoperitoneum, pneumoretroperitoneum and pneumo-scrotum. Free air, while sometimes dramatic as in our case, need not always be a cause for alarm and can often be managed expectantly. Our patient was treated with only a chest drain and otherwise made an uneventful recovery.
authors.affiliation: ENT Clinic, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: T F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Pézier
authors.affiliation: ENT Clinic, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: G-M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Widmer
authors.affiliation: ENT Clinic, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Huber
mesh_terms: D005832:Genital Diseases, Male / Q000209:etiology*; D006611:High-Frequency Jet Ventilation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008478:Mediastinal Emphysema / Q000209:etiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011027:Pneumoperitoneum / Q000209:etiology*; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000209:etiology*; D012611:Scrotum; D013352:Subcutaneous Emphysema / Q000209:etiology*
keywords: Chest drain; Free air; Jet ventilation; Pneumo-scrotum; Pneumomediastinum; Pneumoperitoneum; Pneumoretroperitoneum; Pneumothorax; Subcutaneous emphysema