[Negative pressure therapy for the treatment of severe subcutaneous emphysema].

BACKGROUND

Subcutaneous emphysema (SE) is the presence of air in the subcutaneous tissue. In severe cases, massive SE can lead to anxiety, pain, dyspnoea and decreased eye sight due to swelling.

CASE DESCRIPTION

We describe two cases, a 75-year old male and a 66-year old male, who suffered from massive SE. When conventional therapy failed, transdermal incisions and negative pressure therapy (NPT) were applied. NPT is a commonly used method for wound care. NPT resulted in a fast relief of the SE-related symptoms in both our patients.

CONCLUSION

In case of severe subcutaneous emphysema, when conventional drainage is insufficient, we recommend considering making incisions followed by the use of negative pressure therapy. This can result in a rapid drainage of the subcutaneous air, with significant relief of symptoms.