Iatrogenic Perforation of the Left Ventricle during Insertion of a Chest Drain

• Published in: Journal of chest surgery pp. 223 - 225
• Main Authors: 김동민, 임성훈, 서필원
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 대한흉부외과학회 01.06.2013
• Subjects: 흉부외과학
• ISSN: 2765-1606; 2765-1614

Chest draining is a common procedure for treating pleural effusion. Perforation of the heart is a rare often fatal complication of chest drain insertion. We report a case of a 76-year-old female patient suffering from congestive heart failure. At presentation, unilateral opacity of the left chest observed on a chest X-ray was interpreted as massive pleural effusion, so an attempt was made to drain the left pleural space. Malposition of the chest drain was suspected because blood was draining in a pulsatile way from the catheter. Computed tomography revealed perforation of the left ventricle. Mini-thoracotomy was performed and the drain extracted successfully. KCI Citation Count: 0