Table of Contents
- Overview
- Symptoms
- Treatment
- Prevention
- Images
Mediastinal emphysema
Treatment
Often, no treatment is needed because the body will gradually absorb the air. Breathing high concentrations of oxygen may speed up this process.
The doctor may put in a
Support Groups
Expectations (prognosis)
The outlook depends on the disease or events that caused the pneumomediastinum.
Complications
The air may build up and enter the space around the lungs (pleural space), causing the lung to collapse.
More rarely, air may enter the area between the heart and the thin sac that surrounds the heart. This is called a pneumopericardium.
In other rare cases, so much air builds up in the middle of the chest that it pushes on the heart and the great blood vessels, making them unable to work properly.
All of these complications require urgent attention.
Calling your health care provider
Go to the emergency room or call the local emergency number (such as 911) if you have severe chest pain or difficulty breathing.
Images
Previous Section
Review Date: 09/15/2010
Reviewed By: Denis Hadjiliadis, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of
Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, University of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia, PA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical
Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
