SUBCUTANEOUS EMPHYSEMA IN AN INFANT THREE DAYS OLD

Subcutaneous emphysema, occurring spontaneously during the first days of life, appears to be extraordinarily rare. Only two cases have been found recorded in the literature, both reported by Guillot,¹ and even in these there is some doubt as to whether the cause was intrinsic. The Catalogue of the Surgeon-General's Library gives the title of a paper by Lvov² as "On congenital subcutaneous emphysema of the skin," but direct reference to this paper shows that the title should be translated as "The development of cutaneous emphysema during the period of labor," and that the not very unusual emphysema which occurs in mothers during protracted and difficult labor is the subject dealt with. There are a number of reports of subcutaneous emphysema in older children complicating whooping cough, diphtheria and tuberculosis, and a few of emphysema in infants after insufflation for asphyxia or atelectasis. From intrinsic causes, however, emphysema in