1. Two Cases of Tension Pneumopericardium in Mechanically Ventilated Preterm Infants
- Author
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Won Soon Park, So Yoon Ahn, Yun Sil Chang, Jin Kyu Kim, Se Hyun Maeng, Jimi Jung, Hye Soo Yoo, Eun Sun Kim, Hyun Joo Seo, and Jeonghee Shin
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Mechanical ventilator ,business.industry ,Cardiovascular deterioration ,High mortality ,Medicine ,Pneumopericardium ,medicine.symptom ,Complication ,business ,medicine.disease ,Collapse (medical) ,Surgery - Abstract
Pneumopericardium is a rare form of neonatal air leakage. Tension pneumopericardium is much more infrequent, but can cause a cardiovascular deterioration with high mortality up to 80% and neurodevelopmental morbidity in half of the cases. We report two cases of preterm infants who successfully recovered from tension pneumopericardium that developed during mechanical ventilator assistance. The patients displayed a sudden increase in oxygen demand and subsequent cardiovascular deterioration. Immediate needle aspiration of the pneumopericardium performed after checking X-ray images rescued each of patient. Since the clinical symptoms are non-specific, clinicians’ suspicion is most important when patients show sudden refractory cardiovascular collapse, especially in ventilator-assisted neonates. This life threatening complication demands instant diagnosis and intervention.
- Published
- 2011