Pneumopericardium is defined as the condition of presence of air in the pericardial space. It is associated with various etiologies such as chest trauma, infection or invasive procedures. We herein describe a case of cardiac tamponade associated with pneumopericardium. We diagnosed iatrogenic pneumopericardium by plain chest radiography and two-dimensional echocardiography. The patient was successfully treated by re-pericardiocentesis.
Cardiac Tamponade ; Echocardiography ; Humans ; Pericardiocentesis ; Pneumopericardium ; Thorax

We study on 3 children pyopericarditis on July 1996 at the Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Department Cho Ray Hospital. All of patients come from Pediatric Hospital. Diagnostic: pyopericarditis with pus from pericardiocentesis. Operation: largely pericardiectomy. Result: all patients are in good condition when they are discharge.
Myocarditis ; Pericardiocentesis ; Pericardiectomy ; surgery ; therapeutics ; child

No abstract available.
Central Venous Catheters* ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Pericardiocentesis*

Primary cardiac malignancy is very rare. Angiosarcoma is the most frequent malignant cardiac tumor and associated with a very unfavourable outcome. We report the case of an cardiac angiosarcoma complicated with cardiac tamponade revealed by echocardiography with pericardiocentesis and confirmed histopathologically in a 25 years old man.
Adult ; Cardiac Tamponade* ; Echocardiography ; Heart Neoplasms ; Hemangiosarcoma* ; Humans ; Pericardiocentesis

Coronary perforation is a rare, but potentially catastrophic complication of percutaneous coronary intervention. It rarely results in cardiac tamponade with the use of standard anticoagulant regimens. But spontaneous cardiac tamponade was reported recently during balloon angioplasty under the large dose of heparin infusion, and after stent implantation under powerful antiplatelet therapy including platelet IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitor administration. We report a case of delayed cardiac tamponade complicated by guidewire manipulation under powerful anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy, which recurred early after the first pericardiocentesis.
Angioplasty, Balloon ; Blood Platelets ; Cardiac Tamponade* ; Heparin ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Pericardiocentesis ; Stents

Pericardial drainage is an important diagnostic and therapeutic option in the symptomatic patient with large amount of pericardial effusion (PE). However, when the amount of PE is relatively small, physicians are often reluctant to perform the invasive drainage of the fluid due to the increased risk of causing myocardial injury during the procedure. Even in some cases of suspected pericarditis with small amount PE, an initial empirical anti-inflammatory therapy is often recommended. A 65-year-old woman presented with mild dyspnea for two weeks. The echocardiography revealed small amount of PE. A careful fluoroscopy-guided pericardiocentesis, subsequent pericardial fluid cytology, and thorough whole body check-up demonstrated adenocarcinoma with no proven primary site. After the palliative chemotherapy, she had survived for 15 months until her death due to asphyxia. Although pericardiocentesis is considered dangerous in small amount of PE, a prompt and careful drainage may provide early detection of hidden malignancy and better survival outcome.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Aged ; Asphyxia ; Drainage ; Drug Therapy ; Dyspnea ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Humans ; Pericardial Effusion* ; Pericardial Fluid ; Pericardiocentesis* ; Pericarditis

BACKGROUND: There are several ways to treat for recurrent pericardial effussion and cardiac tamponade due to malignancy. They are repeated pericardiocentesis, pericardial instillation of sclerosing and chemotherapeutic agents, surgical creation of a pericardial window and transthoracic pericardiectomy. Surgical techniques are usually effective but bear a significant morbidity and mortality especially in chronic debilitating cancer patients. So percutaneous balloon pericardial window as an alternative to surgery in these patients. METHODS: After pericardiocentesis was performed, a 0.035 inch J-tip guidewire was advanced into the pericardial space. And a pigtail catheter was advanced over the wire. A moderate amount of pericardial fluid were removed. A nd then the pigtail catheter was withdrawn and 8F sheath was inserted. A20mm diameter, 4cm long(Single balloon method) or two 10mm diameter, 4cm long balloon dilating catheter(Double balloon medium) was advanced over the wire to straddle the parietal pericardial border though the sheath. Several inflations of the balloon with a solution containing 50% radiographic contrast medium were performed until disappearance of the balloon waist. After balloon dilation, contrast medium from the pericardial space to subcutaneous tisse suggesting successful PBPWF. Single ballon method was employed in 4 patients and Dould balloon method in 2 patients. RESULT: We performed percutaneous balloon pericardial window formation in 6 patiemts with malignant pericardial effusion. We did percutaneous balloon pericardial window formation successfully in 5 patients and failed due to adhesion of parietal pericardium in 1 patient. One patient developed recurrent pericardial effusion with tamponade at a mean follow-up of 11.49.6 months(1.5-26 months). Conclusion: These results suggest that PBPWF is an alternative method less invasive than subxiphoid surgical windowing, espesially in critically ill patients with recurrent malignant pericardial effussion. It carries less risks and has more constant effect than repeated pericardiocentesis.
Cardiac Tamponade ; Catheters ; Critical Illness ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Mortality ; Pericardial Effusion* ; Pericardiectomy ; Pericardiocentesis ; Pericardium ; Rabeprazole

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease characterized by symmetric polyarthritis. RA may cause cardiac diseases by various mechanisms. Pericarditis is the most common cardiac manifestation of RA and has been found in 11~50% of autopsies of patients with RA. However only a few patients have clinical evidence of pericarditis which usually follows a benign course but it may progress to cardiac tamponade or constrictive pericarditis rarely. We experienced a case of cardiac tamponade in a 63-year-old patient with RA whose pericardial fluid analysis suggested rheumatoid pericarditis. He was successfully treated with pericardiocentesis and antirheumatic medication. This is the first case report of cardiac tamponade occurring as a complication of RA in Korea as far as we know.
Arthritis ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Autopsy ; Cardiac Tamponade* ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Korea ; Middle Aged ; Pericardiocentesis ; Pericarditis ; Pericarditis, Constrictive

Primary hemangioma of the heart is very rare and is difficult to be diagnosed during life. We present a case of pericardial hemangioma with spontaneous hemopericardium, which was diagnosed by operation and confirmed histologically by excisional biopsy. This 58-yr old patients had pericardial effusion on echodardiography. After evacuation of bloody pericardial effusion by pericardiocentesis, his symptoms were subsided. After then, he uneventfully convalesced. On the 32th day, sudden dyspnea developed with narrow pulse pressure. So exploratory pericardiotomy was done under the impression of cardiac tamponade. At operation, we noticed diffuse hemangiomatous lesion at epicardium and large amount of bloody pericardial effusion. We performed only diagnostic excisional biopsy because the lesion was too extensive and location was not suitable for total excision. The lesion was confirmed to be pericardial hemangioma histologically.
Biopsy ; Blood Pressure ; Cardiac Tamponade ; Dyspnea ; Heart ; Hemangioma* ; Humans ; Pericardial Effusion* ; Pericardiectomy ; Pericardiocentesis ; Pericardium

Pneumopericardium is a rare complication of pericardiocentesis, occurring either as a result of direct pleuro-pericardial communication or a leaky drainage system. Air-fluid level surrounding the heart shadow within the pericardium on a chest X-ray is an early observation at diagnosis. This clinical measurement and process is variable, depending on the hemodynamic status of the patient. The development of a cardiac tamponade is a serious complication, necessitating prompt recognition and treatment. We recently observed a case of pneumopericardium after a therapeutic pericardiocentesis in a 20-year-old man with tuberculous pericardial effusion.
Cardiac Tamponade ; Drainage ; Heart ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Pericardial Effusion ; Pericardiocentesis ; Pericardium ; Pneumopericardium ; Thorax ; Young Adult