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Tension pneumopericardium in a preterm infant without mechanical ventilation: a rare cause of cardiac arrest
Author(s) -
Heckmann M,
Lindner W,
Pohlandt F
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1998.tb01451.x
Subject(s) - pneumopericardium , medicine , pericardiocentesis , mechanical ventilation , anesthesia , gestational age , airway obstruction , surgery , airway , pericardial effusion , pneumothorax , pregnancy , biology , genetics
A preterm infant with a gestational age of 32 weeks developed a tension pneumopericardium during the second day of life. The infant was treated with nasal continuous positive airway pressure and was not mechanically ventilated before pneumopericardium occurred. After emergency pericardiocentesis, two recurrences of pneumopericardium without clinical deterioration were diagnosed by X‐ray during a 2‐d observation period. A continuous pericardial drainage was positioned and was successfully removed on the seventh day of life after weaning from the ventilator. Tension pneumopericardium may occur even in non‐ventilated newborns and should be considered as a rare but important differential diagnosis of cardiac arrest.