What is the treatment for subcutaneous emphysema?
Subcutaneous emphysema isn’t a problem by itself. This is just gas bubbles under the skin that can be felt with the fingers. However, it may be a sign that something is happening which could require treatment, and should be figured out. There are three ways in which gas gets under the skin. First, in some cases rips in the tissue of the lung leak air, but the air doesn’t stay in the chest. In these situations, it tracks along under the surface of the lung and then into the soft tissue around the heart. From there, it tracks out through the muscles of the neck till it reaches the skin. It’s typically first detectable around the collar bones, but it can spread to the face, arms and torso very quickly. I’ve seen people blow up like the “Michelin man” from this. As long as lung function isn’t compromised, this isn’t an emergency. If lung function is compromised by air also leaking into the chest cavity, then the air needs to be drained with a “chest tube”. Some people who have problems lik
