The Management of Subcutaneous Emphysema in Pneumothorax: A Literature Review

Purpose of Review Subcutaneous emphysema is often observed by clinicians in the context of pneumothorax. It is usually clinically insignificant, but in a few cases can progress to threaten the patient’s vision or airway. A variety of approaches to management of such cases are described in the literature. There no controlled trials and no guidelines on management, other than that the cause should be identified and treated wherever possible. The goal of this article is to review the described approaches to subcutaneous emphysema in pneumothorax and provide a reference to the clinician. Summary Treatment can be directed primarily towards treating an underlying pneumothorax and / or towards the subcutaneous emphysema. These are not mutually exclusive approaches. Management of the underlying pneumothorax includes conservative management; use of negative suction; siting of wider bore intercostal drains and definitive surgical management. Management of subcutaneous emphysema may include decompression techniques such as: ‘blow hole’ incisions or subcutaneous angio-catheters or tunnelled drains. In the current absence of controlled trials is not possible to comment on the efficacy of these techniques: no recommendations on management of subcutaneous emphysema in pneumothorax can be made. Management will be significantly influenced by local technical expertise and patient factors for the foreseeable future.