Subcutaneous emphysema

[Cookie]

It seems that part of my post was lost when I lost phone service in the middle of submitting the post, some idiot cut a fibre optic phone line and we finally just about two hours ago got phone service back.

I was going to add and or ask where did you observe, listen etc the Subcutaneous emphysema. I also was going to ask what was the complaint of the patient and what led yout to find the Subcutaneous emphysema?

[Ridryder 911]

Actually, crepitus of the bone ends are actually a "grating" of the bone fragments grating against each other. Not a popping or crackle.. like in sq with air in the tissue.

R/r 911

[Street Dancer]

I know this sounds stupid from a new guy on the board but SubQ Emphysema always reminds me of pork rinds. :?

Think about pork rinds are just skin puffed up with air, granted it's deep fried but I always think pork rinds when someone talks SubQ.

OK, I'm done making an ass of myself.

And yes I have seen SubQ Emphysema.

[nremtp]

We have a cereal called "Rice Krispies" in the UK which make a "snap, crackle and pop" noise when you pour milk on them. Sub Cutaneous emphysema (called surgical emphysema over here) sounds a bit like that when you touch it.

I have only seen it twice, once in an elderly lady in LVF and another time in an asthmatic.

I found it both times during my primary survey of the respiratory system when I lay my hands on the chest and feel for equal expansion.

I suspect that this is how the original poster found it as well, but I am just guessing based on my own experiences.

I did see one episode of "Emergency Paramedics" (a documentary series) where a man had suffered a chest injury and was puffed up like the michelin man. It looked like severe anaphylaxis but was actually surgical emphysema.

Crepitus doesn't just refer to bones as another poster has stated.

Just my tuppence worth.

[akflightmedic]

We have a cereal called "Rice Krispies" in the UK which make a "snap, crackle and pop" noise when you pour milk on them.

WoW! I wonder if they will ever make it to this side of the pond and how they would sell?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice_krispies

http://www.ricekrispiestreats.com/The_Tale.aspx

[Dustdevil]

i felt Subcutaneous emphysema for the first time yesterday and it felt like it was quite a bit to me the mict i was with also felt it and said it was hardly any at all but it was up his so full it was swollen is this really not that much??

Like others, I'm not sure there was really a question in there, or if there was, what it was, but I'll bite anyhow.

Any sub-Q emphysaema is a lot. It's like being dead or pregnant. Degrees aren't particularly significant. If you have it at all, you've got a serious problem. But if you have to actually feel for it to find it, then your "mict" (whatever that is) is correct, it's not really very far up there on the Richter Scale. I've seen 50kg old ladies looking like the Michelin Man because of so much sub-Q emphysaema.

[tniuqs]

WoW! I wonder if they will ever make it to this side of the pond and how they would sell?

Maybe we could call them Crep E licious ?

And just why in medicine does everything boil down into a food stuff ... its so sick ! :shock:

There goes another topic down the tubes.

[Michael]

almost]SnAKp!™ is the oldest and the leader of the group. He solves the problems his two brothers create and wears a baker’s hat.

Dwacklemtb!™ is the good-hearted, fun middle child. He gets stuck keeping order between his brothers’ personalities and wears a red-and-white-striped stocking cap.

Popdevil!™ is the mischievous, [s:548fe2a1ee]clumsy[/s:548fe2a1ee] dextrous younger child. He plays jokes, doesn’t take trivial things seriously and wears a bandleader's hat.

[firedoc5]

There's been a number of occasions where we said, "They guy ate the bumper", Motorcycle VS vehicle MVA.

[akflightmedic]

Very creative Michael. I like it!