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Pneumomediastinum in a cannabis smoker precipitated by vigorous sexual intercourse
  1. Mubashar Iqbal1,
  2. Ali Hussain2,
  3. Zara Majeed3 and
  4. Husham Elfaki4
  1. 1 Respiratory, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, UK
  2. 2 Acute Medicine, Pinderfields General Hospital, Wakefield, UK
  3. 3 Health Care of Elderly, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK
  4. 4 Respiratory Consultant, Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Wakefield, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Ali Hussain; ali.hussain14{at}nhs.net

Abstract

Primary pneumomediastinum is the presence of air in the interstitium of the mediastinum. The exact aetiology is unclear; nevertheless, it has been reported more frequently in patients with asthma and in individuals who use recreational drugs. It is commonly preceded by a sharp rise in intrathoracic pressure as in a Valsalva-like manoeuvre. We describe a rare case of severe pneumomediastinum with a small pneumothorax related to cannabis smoking and aggravated by vigorous sexual intercourse. The patient was successfully treated conservatively due to clinical and radiological stability and the absence of secondary cause.

  • pneumomediastinum
  • air leaks
  • pneumothorax
  • respiratory medicine
  • smoking and tobacco

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Footnotes

  • Contributors HE: directly looked after the patient. MI: indirectly looked after the patient, did the literature review and helped in writing the article. AH, ZM: literature review and helped in writing the article.

  • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.