Pneumoperitoneum. A complication of mechanical ventilation.

Pneumoperitoneum occurred in three adults receiving mechanical ventilatory support. Since the presence of a perforated viscus could not be confirmed by combinations of clinical, surgical, or autopsy findings in any of these patients, it appears that the free abdominal air in these patients was a complication of the ventilatory therapy. It is possible that such a complication may be more common than is currently recognized and thus should be added to the differential diagnosis of pneumoperitoneum.