ABSTRACT

This case aims to draw attention to cardiopulmonary findings that develop as a result of blunt trauma in osteoporotic patients and to emphasize the importance of rapid, appropriate diagnosis and treatment. A 93-year-old female patient with a history of osteoporosis and hypertension presented with pain in the chest and right orbit after tripping and falling. Non-contrast thorax and brain computed tomography (CT) was requested for the patient. Thorax CT showed free air embolism in the right ventricle and pulmonary artery, and brain CT showed widespread pneumocephalus adjacent to sphenoid bone fracture. Durant maneuver was applied to the patient, whose hemodynamics were stable, and he was monitored. Three hours later, contrast-enhanced thorax CT showed that free air had disappeared. The patient’s complaints subsided, and upon the recommendation of the neurologist, intensive care follow-up was recommended due to a possible epileptic seizure attack. In this case, we wanted to emphasize the clinical approach to the association of right ventricle, pulmonary artery air embolism and pneumocephalus, which is quite rare and has a high mortality rate.

Keywords: Pneumocephalus, pulmonary artery air embolism, air in the right ventricle