Snap, Crackle and Pop

Author: Nicholas Chua / Editor: Ken McGrattan / Reviewer: Peter Kilgour / Codes: RP4, SLO4, TP2, TP3 / Published: 29/04/2021

A 40-year-old female is involved in a head on vehicle collision at 50 miles per hour into a tree. After extrication by paramedics she arrives to the ED triple immobilised with a pelvic binder in situ. She is intubated and ventilated, stabilized during the primary survey and taken for a trauma CT series.

Coronal and sagittal views of her cervical CT imaging are shown. There is a hard collar, evidence of surgical emphysema, an endotracheal tube and bilateral pneumothoraces.