Spontaneous Pneumomediastinum. A case report

Abstract

Pneumomediastinum is defined as the presence of air in the mediastinum, it can occur spontaneously in healthy individuals without triggers, in which case the condition is called spontaneous pneumomediastinum. The diagnosis can be confirmed by chest x-ray or chest computed tomography, in some cases it can be difficult to handle due to the absence of clear guidelines for diagnosis and management, it´s a rare clinical entity, however, emergency department physicians must consider differential diagnoses that, if not taken into account, can be fatal for our patients. We present the case of a 17-year-old patient with spontaneous pneumomediastinum (Hamman's syndrome) who attended the emergency department of our hospital due to cervical subcutaneous emphysema, a conservative treatment was performed, after 24 hours of observation he was discharged.