Abstract
We describe a case in which subcutaneous emphysema, pneumomediastinum and bilateral pneumothorax developed after tracheotomy.
A 71-year-old male underwent a tracheotomy by local anesthesia for bilateral recurrent nerve paresis.
The mechanism was thought to involve extreme negative intrathoracic pressure induced by labored breathing and high intratracheal pressure caused by coughing and forced ventilation drawing air into the mediastinum and thorax.
