• Jong Hee Kim, Gwan Jin Park, Young Min Kim, Hyun Seok Chai, Sang Chul Kim, Hoon Kim, and Suk Woo Lee.
• Department of Emergency Medicine, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Korea.
• J Emerg Med. 2023 Apr 1; 64 (4): 491495491-495.

BackgroundTrauma, pneumothorax, complication of surgery, infection, or malignancy can cause subcutaneous emphysema and although most subcutaneous emphysema cases are self-limited, extensive subcutaneous emphysema can lead to a compromised airway and cardiovascular system. In this report, we described a successful treatment strategy in which subcutaneous angiocatheter insertion was used to relieve the pressure of extensive subcutaneous emphysema.Case ReportAn 83-year-old man was received at the emergency department (ED) for recurrent pneumothorax and extensive subcutaneous emphysema. Six 18-gauge angiocatheters were inserted under the thoracic subcutaneous tissue and a noticeable improvement was seen 3 h after angiocatheter insertion. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Subcutaneous angiocatheter insertion may be a safe and uncomplicated decompression technique to relieve extensive subcutaneous emphysema, particularly in the ED.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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