{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,28]],"date-time":"2025-08-28T10:10:13Z","timestamp":1756375813934,"version":"3.44.0"},"reference-count":8,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"12","content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BMJ Case Rep"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,12]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>As the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to infect millions of people worldwide, the medical profession is seeing a wide range of short-term and long-term complications of COVID-19. One lesser-known complication is that of pneumomediastinum. This is a rare, but significant, complication defined by the presence of air in the mediastinum with an incidence of 1.2 per 100\u2009000. Described mortality rate is 30%, increasing to 60% in patients with concomitant pneumothoraces. Management of pneumomediastinum is typically conservative, but in cases of extensive subcutaneous emphysema, cardiac or airway compression, life-saving surgical decompression is necessary. We report a case of pneumomediastinum secondary to COVID-19, requiring a surgical approach not described in pneumomediastinum secondary to COVID-19. The case demonstrates the importance of prompt diagnosis and management, as well as the potential for good clinical outcome in selected patients.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1136\/bcr-2022-251744","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,22]],"date-time":"2022-12-22T10:01:06Z","timestamp":1671703266000},"page":"e251744","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Surgical management of pneumomediastinum in the COVID-19 patient"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9782-5209","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Michel","family":"Abou-Abdallah","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Samuel","family":"Dewhurst","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery, North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, Peterborough, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Henry","family":"Dunne","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ekpemi","family":"Irune","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"2025082802355582000_15.12.e251744.1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.3390\/v13040700","article-title":"Long-COVID and Post-COVID health complications: an up-to-date review on clinical conditions and their possible molecular mechanisms","volume":"13","author":"Silva Andrade","year":"2021","journal-title":"Viruses"},{"key":"2025082802355582000_15.12.e251744.2","first-page":"S44","article-title":"Pneumomediastinum","volume":"7","author":"Kouritas","year":"2015","journal-title":"J Thorac Dis"},{"key":"2025082802355582000_15.12.e251744.3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijscr.2021.106071","article-title":"Subcutaneous emphysema and spontaneous pneumomediastinum in non-intubated COVID-19 patient: presenting unusual case report","volume":"84","author":"Essa","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int J Surg Case Rep"},{"key":"2025082802355582000_15.12.e251744.4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1170","DOI":"10.4269\/ajtmh.20-0815","article-title":"Case report: pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum as uncommon complications of COVID-19 Pneumonia-Literature review","volume":"103","author":"Quincho-Lopez","year":"2020","journal-title":"Am J Trop Med Hyg"},{"key":"2025082802355582000_15.12.e251744.5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.12659\/AJCR.925557","article-title":"Spontaneous subcutaneous emphysema and pneumomediastinum in COVID-19 patients: an indicator of poor prognosis?","volume":"21","author":"Al-Azzawi","year":"2020","journal-title":"Am J Case Rep"},{"key":"2025082802355582000_15.12.e251744.6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1076","DOI":"10.1111\/anae.15113","article-title":"Pneumomediastinum following intubation in COVID-19 patients: a case series","volume":"75","author":"Wali","year":"2020","journal-title":"Anaesthesia"},{"key":"2025082802355582000_15.12.e251744.7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.athoracsur.2008.04.067"},{"key":"2025082802355582000_15.12.e251744.8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"207","DOI":"10.1016\/j.clinimag.2020.08.013","article-title":"Spontaneous subcutaneous emphysema and pneumomediastinum in non-intubated patients with COVID-19","volume":"67","author":"Manna","year":"2020","journal-title":"Clin Imaging"}],"container-title":["BMJ Case Reports"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/syndication.highwire.org\/content\/doi\/10.1136\/bcr-2022-251744","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,28]],"date-time":"2025-08-28T09:36:03Z","timestamp":1756373763000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/casereports.bmj.com\/lookup\/doi\/10.1136\/bcr-2022-251744"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2022,12]]},"references-count":8,"journal-issue":{"issue":"12","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,22]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022,12]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1136\/bcr-2022-251744"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/bcr-2022-251744","relation":{},"ISSN":["1757-790X"],"issn-type":[{"type":"electronic","value":"1757-790X"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2022,12]]}}}