Conservative Management of Subcutaneous Emphysema: A Case Series

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-280-4_14How to use a DOI?

Keywords

antibiotics; head and neck; needle decompression; subcutaneous emphysema

Abstract

Subcutaneous emphysema is a condition characterized by the presence of air within the tissues beneath the skin, particularly in the chest wall, neck, and other areas of the body. It can occur due to various reasons, including surgical procedures, traumatic injuries to the thoracic cavity, neck, and sinus cavities, infections, or spontaneously. Although subcutaneous emphysema often presents with mild symptoms, it can occasionally become severe and pose a life-threatening risk.

Two cases were observed involving subcutaneous emphysema. The first case involved a 4-year-old boy who developed this condition after a blunt trauma, with swelling and crepitus detected in the anterior neck. In the second case, a 5-year-old boy experienced subcutaneous emphysema as a complication of a tracheotomy, with swelling and crepitus extending to the anterior chest and back. To address the issue, a decompression procedure was performed by inserting intravenous catheters into the affected tissues and administering broad-spectrum antibiotics. After respective therapy durations of 14 and 12 days, significant improvement was observed in both cases, with minimal residual symptoms remaining

Needle decompression effectively relieves subfascial pressure in subcutaneous emphysema, while antibiotics play a crucial role in preventing infections and reducing mortality. Prompt diagnosis and appropriate management are essential to address this condition and its potential complications. Successful implementation of needle decompression and antibiotic therapy has been observed in relieving symptoms and preventing further issues.

Copyright

© 2023 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Fitri Septiani
AU  - R. Ayu Hardianti Saputri
AU  - Agung Dinasti Permana
AU  - Mohammad Adithya Prawiranata
PY  - 2023
DA  - 2023/10/31
TI  - Conservative Management of Subcutaneous Emphysema: A Case Series
BT  - Proceedings of the 19 th Otorhinolaryngology head and neck surgery national congress (PERHATIKL 2022)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 79
EP  - 86
SN  - 2468-5739
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-280-4_14
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-280-4_14
ID  - Septiani2023
ER  -