Hand assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (HALDN) has recently emerged as a very attractive modality in standard donor nephrectomy because of its many advantages. However, it also has disadvantages, which include gas emboli, subcutaneous emphysema, hypercarbia, pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum. This case involves a male patient who had suffered from temporary hypercarbia due to increased carbon dioxide absorption due to massive subcutaneous emphysema about 1 hour after pneumoperitoneum during HALDN. Following multiple skin punctures with an 18 G disposable needle, chest compliance and blood gas findings improved. Three hours later the operation ended successfully and he was transferred to the recovery room, and show no further problems. We report upon this clinical experience and include a brief review of the literature.