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CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association... Nov 2008
Topics: Adult; Humans; Male; Mediastinal Neoplasms; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal; Pneumopericardium; Pneumothorax; Positive-Pressure Respiration; Radiography; Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; Respiratory Distress Syndrome
PubMed: 18981451
DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.080707 -
Cureus Nov 2020Pneumopericardium is a rare clinical condition defined by the presence of air in the pericardial sac. While this initially does not pose much danger, the accumulation of...
Pneumopericardium is a rare clinical condition defined by the presence of air in the pericardial sac. While this initially does not pose much danger, the accumulation of a sufficient amount of air can convert the pneumopericardium to a tension pathology. This may present with the classic signs, symptoms, and lethal dangers of cardiac tamponade. As with cardiac tamponade, treatment involves decompression of the pericardial sac through pericardiocentesis. This may be followed by insertion of a pericardial tube for continued drainage. While cardiac tamponade is well recognized by its classic findings, the rarer pneumopericardium may be more easily missed. This is further complicated by the backdrop of concurrent traumatic injuries in which it typically presents, as well as the absence of the defining accumulated pericardial effusion. We present a case of a 38-year old male who developed pneumopericardium and worsening hemodynamic status as a complication to blunt trauma, a rare etiology for this condition. CT of the chest demonstrated air in the pericardium and a coexisting pneumothorax. A bedside chest tube was placed. Upon resolution of the pneumothorax, his hemodynamic status improved. Repeat bedside ultrasound demonstrated complete resolution of his pneumopericardium. This case emphasizes the importance of early recognition and diagnosis of this rare yet easily missed condition.
PubMed: 33376639
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.11625 -
Animals : An Open Access Journal From... Jul 2022A pet rabbit (female, 8 years old, and mixed breed) with symptoms of dyspnea, apathy, and weight loss was treated for an acute respiratory infection. Due to the lack of...
A pet rabbit (female, 8 years old, and mixed breed) with symptoms of dyspnea, apathy, and weight loss was treated for an acute respiratory infection. Due to the lack of improvement, it was referred to the Imaging Diagnostics Laboratory of the Department and Clinic of Surgery for a computer tomography scan of the thoracic cavity. The examination revealed the presence of air in the pericardial sac, a pneumopericardium, along with pulmonary emphysema. A few minutes after the examination, the rabbit developed circulatory and respiratory failure and died. Necropsy confirmed the presence of a pneumopericardium and pulmonary emphysema, and revealed, in the tracheal lumen, the presence of a tumor histologically consistent with hemangioma. A spontaneous pneumopericardium occurs when air from the respiratory system moves into the pericardial sac. This is the first case of the simultaneous occurrence of tracheal hemangioma and a pneumopericardium in a rabbit.
PubMed: 35892557
DOI: 10.3390/ani12151907 -
Cureus Nov 2021Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its spectrum of respiratory illnesses ranging from mild to severe and critically ill have been well established. Spontaneous...
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its spectrum of respiratory illnesses ranging from mild to severe and critically ill have been well established. Spontaneous pneumomediastinum and pneumopericardium (PP) appear to be less reported entities and have been found to be reported complications in COVID-19 infection. Pneumomediastinum (PM) and PP are characterized by the presence of air in the mediastinal and pericardial cavity, respectively. Although, generally, secondary to trauma or underlying lung conditions like asthma, bronchiolitis obliterans, and blunt trauma, it can also occur spontaneously without an evident primary cause. PM and PP are increasingly reported complications in COVID-19 patients adversely affecting clinical outcomes. We present a case series of patients with spontaneous pneumomediastinum and pneumopericardium in the presence of underlying COVID-19 infection and their management at our academic medical center.
PubMed: 34926035
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.19546 -
Revista Portuguesa de Cardiologia :... Oct 2022
PubMed: 36253226
DOI: 10.1016/j.repc.2021.09.021 -
Texas Heart Institute Journal Sep 2021
Topics: Humans; Pacemaker, Artificial; Pneumopericardium; Prosthesis Implantation
PubMed: 34665870
DOI: 10.14503/THIJ-19-7093 -
Cureus Nov 2020Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel coronavirus identified after widespread pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China at the end of 2019. This...
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel coronavirus identified after widespread pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China at the end of 2019. This virus has been deemed a global pandemic and there remain many unknowns regarding the pathogenesis, management, treatment, and outcomes. This case report highlights a rare condition that possibly developed from the novel virus. A 68-year-old Hispanic male with hypertension and gastroesophageal reflux disease, presented with two weeks history of fevers, chills, cough, and progressive shortness of breath. He was found to be positive for the novel SARS-CoV-2 upon admission. He rapidly developed severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) secondary to his coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia requiring intubation and full ventilator support associated with acute anuric renal failure requiring emergent hemodialysis catheter placement and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). Two weeks after being on mechanical ventilation and CRRT, he developed episodes of hypotension and tachycardia. A chest radiograph and computed tomography (CT) scan diagnosed pneumopericardium. In the case presented, the patient's CT of his thorax demonstrated bilateral ground-glass opacities and bilateral reticulations consistent with intraparenchymal injuries, most likely from his ARDS secondary to his initial SARS-CoV-2 infection. To date, there remains an unknown association between COVID-19 and causation of pneumomediastinum and pneumopericardium. There continues to be reports of clinically significant findings of pneumomediastinum and pneumopericardium in COVID-19 patients. It is known that COVID-19 causes dysregulated inflammation leading to diffuse alveolar damage and rupture, as well as myocarditis which may be the precipitant to the development of pneumomediastinum and pneumopericardium. This case highlights the findings of pneumopericardium and pneumomediastinum in the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus. Given the multiple reported cases with similar time frames to the development of spontaneous pneumomediastinum in COVID-19 patients, an association between COVID-19 and spontaneous pneumomediastinum should be further studied.
PubMed: 33391929
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.11696 -
Canadian Journal of Anaesthesia =... Oct 2021
Topics: Abdomen; Humans; Insufflation; Pericardiocentesis; Pneumopericardium; Pneumoperitoneum
PubMed: 34050451
DOI: 10.1007/s12630-021-02036-9 -
Indian Journal of Thoracic and... Jul 2019Pneumopericardium is the presence of air in the pericardial cavity. It is a rare case entity that has been reported most commonly after trauma, or spontaneously without...
Pneumopericardium is the presence of air in the pericardial cavity. It is a rare case entity that has been reported most commonly after trauma, or spontaneously without any underlying cause in a healthy adult. Pneumopericardium following pericardiocentesis has been rarely reported in the literature. Pneumopericardium is often self-resolving and rarely requires a pericardial drain for treatment. We report a case of pneumopericardium presented with tamponade physiology following pericardiocentesis for tubercular pericardial effusion, requiring emergency pericardiectomy.
PubMed: 33061035
DOI: 10.1007/s12055-018-00785-9 -
Radiology. Cardiothoracic Imaging Dec 2020An esophagopericardial fistula is a rare complication of esophageal malignancy, trauma, or surgery. Imaging is a cornerstone of diagnosis, with detection of...
An esophagopericardial fistula is a rare complication of esophageal malignancy, trauma, or surgery. Imaging is a cornerstone of diagnosis, with detection of pneumopericardium or hydropneumopericardium at imaging raising suspicion for pyopneumopericardium and prompting immediate search for the causative pathologic process. Given the high associated mortality rate of over 50% for patients with esophagopericardial fistulas, early diagnosis and intervention are vital. Supplemental material is available for this article. © RSNA, 2020.
PubMed: 33778644
DOI: 10.1148/ryct.2020200417