Severe pulmonary barotrauma

Pulmonary barotrauma is a well-known but rarely seen complication of mechan ical intermittent positive pressure ventilation. It is thought to be relate d to raised pressures within alveoli which lead to their eventual rupture a nd the subsequent development of respiratory embarrassment. Mishaps related to faulty one-way valves in the self-inflating, bag-ventilation devices co mmonly used in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can, although rarely, le ad to severe barotrauma. In this report, we describe a case of pulmonary ba rotrauma that appeared to be related to the "locking" of the "Ambu" bag one -way valve in the inspiratory position during routine CPR.