Industrial compressed air injury resulting in caecal perforation and tension pneumoperitoneum: a rare non-iatrogenic barotrauma

Abstract

The widespread use of compressed air equipment in industrial settings has led to an increase in severe injuries resulting from misuse. Air compressor abuse is one of the non-iatrogenic causes of colonic barotrauma and typically occurs when coworkers engage in joking or horseplay. High-pressure compressed air is capable of penetrating clothing and can cause bowel injury. Injuries due to compressed air range from mucosal tear to perforation to abdominal compartment syndrome. Although the caecum is considered the most vulnerable segment, the sigmoid and rectosigmoid junction are the most common sites of perforation in industrial barotrauma cases. We report a case of extensive pneumoperitoneum caused by caecal perforation secondary to the forceful injection of compressed air through the perineum while playful joke in young male patient. The patient had one caecal perforation and multiple serosal tears throughout the colon, which were successfully managed with resection and creation of a double-barrel ileo-ascending stoma, along with primary repair of the serosal tears.