A Rare Case of Vaping-Induced Spontaneous Pneumomediastinum

Ramesh Adhikari; Deepika Manduva; Srikrishna V Malayala; Romil Singh; Nitesh K Jain; Keerti Deepika; Thoyaja Koritala

doi:10.7759/cureus.17166

A Rare Case of Vaping-Induced Spontaneous Pneumomediastinum

Cureus. 2021 Aug 13;13(8):e17166. doi: 10.7759/cureus.17166. eCollection 2021 Aug.

Authors

Ramesh Adhikari^{1

2}, Deepika Manduva¹, Srikrishna V Malayala³, Romil Singh⁴, Nitesh K Jain⁵, Keerti Deepika⁶, Thoyaja Koritala⁷

Affiliations

¹ Hospital Medicine, Franciscan Health, Lafayette, USA.
² Geriatrics, Brown University, Providence, USA.
³ Internal Medicine, Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia, USA.
⁴ Critical Care, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA.
⁵ Critical Care Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Mankato, USA.
⁶ Pediatrics/Translational Research, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, USA.
⁷ Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic Health System, Mankato, USA.

Abstract

Vaping is the process of inhaling an aerosol produced by heating a liquid or wax containing substances such as nicotine, cannabinoids (e.g., tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol), flavoring, and additives (e.g., glycerol, propylene glycol). The presence of air or gas in the mediastinum is pneumomediastinum. We present a rare case of vaping-induced spontaneous pneumomediastinum. A young 20-year-old female patient with a history of vaping and no past medical history presented with acute chest pain to an emergency room. The urine drug screen was positive for cannabinoids. Imaging studies - chest x-ray and computed tomography of the chest - showed pneumomediastinum. The patient was discharged after a day of observation and counseling to quit vaping.

Keywords: cannabinoids; e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury (evali); e-cigarette smoking; e-smoking; effects of vaping; electronic nicotine delivery systems; electronic nicotine delivery systems (ends); flavors; pneumomediastinum; spontaneous pneumomediastinum.

Publication types

Case Reports