Pneumomediastinum (patient information)

Pneumomediastinum
Overview
What are the symptoms?
What are the causes?
Who is at highest risk?
Diagnosis
When to seek urgent medical care?
Treatment options
Where to find medical care for Pneumomediastinum?
Prevention
What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?
Possible complications
Pneumomediastinum On the Web
Ongoing Trials at Clinical Trials.gov
Images of Pneumomediastinum
Videos on Pneumomediastinum
FDA on Pneumomediastinum
CDC on Pneumomediastinum
Pneumomediastinum in the news
Blogs on Pneumomediastinum
Directions to Hospitals Treating Pneumomediastinum
Risk calculators and risk factors for Pneumomediastinum

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Trusha Tank, M.D.[2]

Overview

Pneumomediastinum is air in the mediastinum. The mediastinum is the space in the middle of the chest, between the lungs and around the heart.

What are the Symptoms of pneumomediastinum?

• There may be no symptoms.
• The condition usually causes chest pain behind the breastbone, which may spread to the neck or arms.
• The pain may be worse when you take a breath or swallow.

What Causes pneumomediastinum?

Pneumomediastinum is uncommon. The condition can be caused by injury or disease. Most often, it occurs when air leaks from any part of the lung or airways into the mediastinum.

Increased pressure in the lungs or airways may be caused by:

• Too much coughing
• Repeated bearing down to increase abdominal pressure (such as pushing during childbirth or a bowel movement)
• Sneezing
• Vomiting

It may also happen after:

• An infection in the neck or center of the chest
• Rapid rises in altitude, or scuba diving
• Tearing of the esophagus (the tube that connects the mouth and stomach)
• Tearing of the trachea (windpipe)
• Use of a breathing machine
• Use of inhaled recreational drugs, such as marijuana or crack cocaine
• Surgery

Pneumomediastinum also can occur with collapsed lung (pneumothorax) or other diseases.

Where to find Medical Care for pneumomediastinum?

Medical care for (disease name) can be found here.

Sources

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000434.htm