PNEUMOMEDIASTINUM

Course overview

PNEUMOMEDIASTINUM IS DEFINED AS AIR PRESENT IN THE MEDIASTINUM AND LESS FREQUENTLY REFERRED TO AS MEDIASTINAL EMPHYSEMA. PNEUMOMEDIASTINUM DEVELOPS WHEN AIR EXTRAVASATES FROM WITHIN THE AIRWAYS, LUNGS, OR ESOPHAGUS AND MIGRATES INTO THE MEDIASTINAL SPACE. EXTRAVASATED AIR MAY THEN DISSECT CONTIGUOUSLY INTO THE NEIGHBORING CERVICAL SUBCUTANEOUS TISSUES, EPIDURAL SPACE, PERICARDIUM, AND/OR THE PERITONEAL CAVITY. AS A CLINICAL ENTITY, PNEUMOMEDIASTINUM IS RARE AND TYPICALLY SELF-LIMITED. ONCE DIAGNOSED AND SERIOUS CONCOMITANT PATHOLOGY EXCLUDED, MANAGEMENT IS LARGELY FOCUSED ON SYMPTOMATIC TREATMENT. THIS ACTIVITY DESCRIBES THE EVALUATION AND TREATMENT OF PNEUMOMEDIASTINUM AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN MANAGING PATIENTS WITH THIS CONDITION.