Pneumoperitoneum after cardiopulmonary resuscitation: The roles of bystander-provided BLS and laryngeal mask airway

We present a case of post-resuscitative pneumoperitoneum following bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation and artificial ventilation via a laryngeal mask airway. Artificial ventilation can result in gastric distention and contribute to subsequent gastric perforation. Among the various approaches to ventilating patients in respiratory failure, mouth-to-mouth and bag-valve-mask are much more likely to cause gastric inflation than ventilating with a laryngeal mask airway. Abdominal distention, haematemesis, and bloody gastric aspiration are common manifestations of post-resuscitative gastric perforation in which pneumoperitoneum is discovered in the majority of these patients by a roentgenogram of the chest after successful resuscitation.