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Pneumopericardium: an unusual cause for cardiac arrest
Author(s) -
Djaiani G.,
Major E.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
anaesthesia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.839
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1365-2044
pISSN - 0003-2409
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2044.1998.00406.x
Subject(s) - medicine , asystole , anesthesia , cardiac tamponade , pneumopericardium , sodium bicarbonate , resuscitation , cardiopulmonary resuscitation , intensive care unit , surgery , complication , chemistry
A 1‐year‐old boy breathing via a T‐piece system and recovering from meningococcal septicaemia in the intensive care unit suffered a severe bout of coughing and developed bilateral pneumothoraces and tension pneumopericardium resulting in electromechanical dissociation and asystole. Conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation and adrenaline boluses were unsuccessful. Administration of 20 ml.kg −1 of colloid and 3 mmol.kg −1 of sodium bicarbonate solutions produced instantaneous return of cardiac output. The deleterious effects of cardiac tamponade appeared to decrease with increasing cardiac filling pressures. The patient was managed conservatively and he made a full recovery with no signs of residual neurological deficit.