Air tamponade of the heart

Pneumopericardium is a rare disease defined as the presence of air or gas in the pericardial sac. Among the etiological factors, the following stand out: chest trauma, barotrauma, air-containing fistulas between the pericardium and the surrounding structures, secondary gas production by microorganis...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inKardiochirurgia i torakochirurgia polska Vol. 13; no. 2; pp. 150 - 153
Main Authors Gołota, Janusz J, Orłowski, Tadeusz, Iwanowicz, Katarzyna, Snarska, Jadwiga
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Poland Termedia Publishing House 01.01.2016
Subjects
Case Report
lung cancer
pleura
pericardium
fistula
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Pneumopericardium is a rare disease defined as the presence of air or gas in the pericardial sac. Among the etiological factors, the following stand out: chest trauma, barotrauma, air-containing fistulas between the pericardium and the surrounding structures, secondary gas production by microorganisms growing in the pericardial sac, and iatrogenic factors. Until now, spontaneous pneumopericardium has been considered a harmless and temporary state, but a review of clinical cases indicates that the presence of air in the pericardium can lead to cardiac tamponade and life-threatening hemodynamic disturbances. We present the case of an 80-year-old patient with a chronic bronchopericardial fistula, who suffered from a cardiac arrest due to air tamponade of the heart.
ISSN:1731-5530
1897-4252
DOI:10.5114/kitp.2016.61052