@article{ref1,
title="Tension pneumoperitoneum caused by blunt thoracic trauma",
journal="Trauma (Sage)",
year="2014",
author="Webman, Rachel and Rosenzweig, Matthew and Bholat, Omar and Bernstein, Mark and Todd, S. Rob and Frangos, Spiros G.",
volume="16",
number="1",
pages="56-59",
abstract="Tension pneumoperitoneum is a rare entity that occurs when free air under pressure accumulates in the abdominal cavity compromising visceral function and blood flow. The case of a 23-year-old man whose chest was run over by the wheels of a truck is presented. He arrived with a severely distended abdomen, significant thoracic trauma, hypoxemia, and elevated airway pressures following intubation. Imaging studies revealed massive intraperitoneal free air. He was treated with a decompressive laparotomy but was not found to have a hollow viscus nor diaphragmatic injury. We hypothesize a possible, as yet unpublished, mechanism: secondary to the patient's rib fractures and significant torso soft tissue shearing, a defect in the parietal pleura allowed air to track from the thorax inferiorly along subcutaneous and fascial planes, eventually entering into the peritoneal cavity through a violated parietal peritoneum. We present a review of the literature on tension pneumoperitoneum.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1460-4086",
doi="10.1177/1460408613507688",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1460408613507688"
}