Unusual complication of noninvasive ventilation: The œsogastric pneumatosis associated with a subcutaneous emphysema

The non-invasive ventilation (NIV) is a technique of ventilator support to avoid endotracheal intubation and its potential complications. However, it has some complications that are usually harmless to type of erythema and/or cutaneous ulcerations, mouth or nose dryness, conjunctival irritation and rarely lesions of barotrauma, volotrauma or gastric insufflation with nausea and vomiting. We report the case of a patient who had an unusual complication of NIV: sub mucosa gastro-esophageal pneumatosis associated with subcutaneous emphysema occurring on the second day after one hepatectomy which was settled but complicated with a postoperative pulmonary aspiration syndrome. (C) 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.