Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine

Introduction: Tension pneumoperitoneum is rarely encountered in the emergency department but can have disastrous effects on the body when it is. However, an emergency physician has skills that can be readily applied to needle decompress the abdomen for rapid stabilization.

Case Report: A 42-year-old male arrived via ambulance after a likely overdose with mental status improvement following naloxone administration. He was found to be in respiratory distress due to a rigid, distended abdomen that required intubation for stabilization. Computed tomography imaging showed significant pneumoperitoneum with tension physiology. Surgery consultation was unable to intervene immediately, and needle decompression with an angiocatheter was performed at the bedside with immediate ventilatory improvement.

Conclusion: Tension pneumoperitoneum is a rare but potentially disastrous consequence of overdose secondary to emesis and rupture of the gastric wall. Needle decompression is a skillset already in the emergency physician’s toolbox and can be applied for emergency stabilization of a tension pneumoperitoneum with proper forethought and technique.