Two Cases of Tension Pneumopericardium in Mechanically Ventilated Preterm Infants. |
Se Hyun Maeng, Hyun Joo Seo, Jeonghee Shin, Jimi Jung, Jin Kyu Kim, Hye Soo Yoo, So Yoon Ahn, Eun Sun Kim, Yun Sil Chang, Won Soon Park |
1Department of Pediatrics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. wonspark@skku.edu 2Department of Pediatrics, Myongji Hospital, Kwandong University School of Medicine, Goyang, Korea. |
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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. |
Key Words:
Pneumopericardium; Preterm infant; Mechanical ventilator |
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