Tension pneumocephalus secondary to non-invasive mechanical ventilation in a patient with severe traumatic brain injury.

The presence of air inside intracranial cavity is a rare entity known as pneumocephalus and in most cases doesńt present any clinical repercussion except in case of elevated intracranial pressure that can lead to a decreasing level of consciousness, coma and even death. We present a rare case of a young male, without medical precedents of interest, hospitalized in an intensive care unit for vigilance after a traffic accident with asymptomatic crane encephalic trauma and cranial computerized tomography without meaningful findings. During the intensive care unit stay positive pressure is applied in airway with non-invasive mechanical ventilation that produces air entrance in cranial cavity (pneumocephalus) causing neurological deterioration and necessity of urgent surgery.