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Pneumopericardium and Pneumothorax After Permanent Pacemaker Implantation
Author(s) -
SEBASTIAN CLIFFORD C.,
WU WENCHIH,
SHAFER MARK,
CHOUDHARY GAURAV,
PATEL PRANAV M.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
pacing and clinical electrophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.686
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1540-8159
pISSN - 0147-8389
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-8159.2005.40063.x
Subject(s) - medicine , pneumopericardium , pneumomediastinum , pneumothorax , surgery , chest tube , bulla (seal) , radiology , lung
We present a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who developed discomfort 2 days after dual‐chamber pacemaker implantation via the left cephalic vein approach. The pacer was placed with active‐fixation leads without obvious complications. A computed tomography (CT) scan taken in the emergency room showed right pneumothorax and associated pneumopericardium without pneumomediastinum. A three‐dimensional reconstruction of CT images confirmed the atrial lead protruding into the pleural space. This lead likely ruptured a bulla causing a pneumothorax followed by pneumopericardium through a pleuro‐pericardial communication. Chest tube placement relieved both pneumothorax and pneumopericardium without the need for atrial lead extraction.