Tension pneumopericardium is an uncommon complication of mechanical ventilaton. It may indeed be life-threatening for hemodynamic compromise and circulatory collapse. We present a case of tension pneumopericardium in a patient with a portable ventilator during intrahospital transport for computed tomography scan. Although timely rescue measures were performed, the patient died finally. We repor...

Pneumopericardium is a rare complication of chest trauma, mechanical ventilation and cavitating pneumonia. We report a case of a 7-year-old patient with chronic myeloid leukemia who developed massive pneumopericardium immediately after being electively intubated for a diagnostic radiological procedure in the setting of ongoing Enterococcal pneumonia. As intensive care medicine becomes more prev...

A 14-year-old girl presented with sudden onset breathlessness associated with swelling over the face, chest and upper limbs. The breathlessness developed after a single bout of cough and progressed within a few minutes. On examination the patient was breathless with a pulse rate of 112 bpm, blood pressure of 106/76 mmHg, respiratory rate of 35 breaths/min and was afebrile. The face, chest and u...

Subcutaneous emphysema of the face or neck which may extend into the mediastinum can complicate the use of high-speed air-turbine dental drills (1-5) or dental extractions (1). Pneumopericardium with subcutaneous emphysema has also occurred after maxillary surgery (6). Pneumopericardium, where air may have forced its way through a tear in the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory passages, h...