Study of incidence of occult pneumomediastinum due to blunt chest trauma

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v15i4.61504

Keywords:

Pneumomediastinum; Blunt trauma; Computed tomography chest

Abstract

Background: Pneumomediastinum refers to the presence of extraluminal gas within the mediastinum. If signs of pneumomediastinum are not present on chest X-ray and it is detected on contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) thorax then it is known as occult pneumomediastinum. There is a dearth of literature regarding occult pneumomediastinum in patients with blunt chest trauma.

Aims and Objectives: This study was done to see the incidence as well as outcome of occult pneumomediastinum in patients of blunt chest trauma.

Materials and Methods: A prospective study was done in the department of general surgery at a tertiary care institute in which a total of 32 patients with blunt chest trauma were taken. The patients with occult pneumomediastinum were identified using CECT and appropriate management was done in all patients. Correlation of occult pneumomediastinum with subcutaneous emphysema, rib fracture, jugular venous pressure (JVP), pleural effusion, and outcome was seen.

Results: It was evident from this study that 18.8% of patients of with chest trauma had occult pneumomediastinum. Incidence of blunt chest trauma is most common in the age group of 31–60 years as this age group is more vulnerable to roadside accidents and other accidents. There is a strong correlation between the presence of central subcutaneous emphysema, raised JVP, and worse outcomes with occult pneumomediastinum (P<0.05).

Conclusion: This study showed a high incidence of occult pneumomediastinum in patients with chest trauma which is ultimately associated with high mortality. Hence, we should keep high index of suspicion regarding the presence of occult pneumomediastinum so that timely management of these patients can be done to prevent morbidity and mortality.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
Abstract
89
PDF
138

Downloads

Published

2024-04-01

How to Cite

Verma, S., Sirohi, V., Verma, A., Garg, P., Kumar, G., Kamboj, A., Kamalhans, H., & Lanah, L. S. S. . (2024). Study of incidence of occult pneumomediastinum due to blunt chest trauma. Asian Journal of Medical Sciences, 15(4), 239–243. https://doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v15i4.61504

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 4 (2024)

Section

Original Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Asian Journal of Medical Sciences

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. The journal holds copyright and publishes the work under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC license that permits use, distribution and reprduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. The journal should be recognised as the original publisher of this work.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).