Mediastinal emphysema around the left carotid arteries from a toothbrush impalement injury

Abstract

Abstract This report describes a case of a pediatric patient with a fever after an oral cavity injury caused by a toothbrush. On physical examination, no bleeds or injuries in his mouth were evident, but diagnostic imaging revealed wide mediastinal emphysema including the left carotid arteries. It shows the importance of carefully examining patients not to miss life‐threating conditions.

Keywords

• carotid arteries
• mediastinal emphysema
• toothbrush injury