Extensive injuries following a 'trip at home': a case report

A 52-year-old, Caucasian, British man suffered significant injury following simple fall. A man with no significant past medical history, presented to the accident and emergency with right side chest pain and shortness of breath. He reported a simple fall, two days before admission. Chest radiograph showed simple bilateral pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum. Subsequent computerised tomography confirmed the thoracic injury and identified complex pathophysiology as described. This case shows the extent of injury a person can sustain from a simple fall and the high index of suspicion required to discover the full extent of a patient's injuries. We review the literature to find other forms of presentation.