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Nene RV, Hryniewicki AT, Roderick E, et al. Case report: Tension pneumomediastinum from opioid inhalation. Am J Emerg Med. 2021;doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2021.09.008.
Nene, R. V., Hryniewicki, A. T., Roderick, E., Chicotka, S., Vazquez, M. H., Thistlewaite, P. A., Coffey, C., & Odish, M. F. (2021). Case report: Tension pneumomediastinum from opioid inhalation. The American journal of emergency medicine, . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2021.09.008
Nene, Rahul V, et al. "Case report: Tension pneumomediastinum from opioid inhalation." The American journal of emergency medicine vol. (2021). doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2021.09.008
Nene RV, Hryniewicki AT, Roderick E, Chicotka S, Vazquez MH, Thistlewaite PA, Coffey C, Odish MF. Case report: Tension pneumomediastinum from opioid inhalation. Am J Emerg Med. 2021 Sep 04; doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2021.09.008. Epub 2021 Sep 04. PMID: 34556391.
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Am J Emerg Med. 2021 Sep 04; doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2021.09.008. Epub 2021 Sep 04.

Case report: Tension pneumomediastinum from opioid inhalation.

The American journal of emergency medicine

Rahul V Nene, Adam T Hryniewicki, Elizabeth Roderick, Scott Chicotka, Moises Hernandez Vazquez, Patricia A Thistlewaite, Christanne Coffey, Mazen F Odish

Affiliations

  1. Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
  2. Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
  3. Department of Surgery, Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA.
  4. Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.

PMID: 34556391 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2021.09.008

Abstract

Pneumomediastinum is a rare complication of substance use, likely due to a Valsalva maneuver after drug inhalation. There are no previously documented associations between pneumomediastinum and opioid use. A 30-year-old man with a history of recent heroin and fentanyl inhalation presented to the emergency department in respiratory distress requiring intubation. His course was complicated by pneumomediastinum which subsequently developed tension physiology. He required emergent surgical decompression with a "blowhole incision" to his anterior chest. Although a rare complication of polysubstance use, pneumomediastinum can progress to tension physiology, requiring prompt diagnosis and management.

Published by Elsevier Inc.

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