A rare complication of pericardiocentesis: Pneumopericardium

Mustafa Yilmaz; Okan Gurkan; Elif Nur Arslanboga; Pelin Karaca Ozer

doi:10.1111/echo.15555

A rare complication of pericardiocentesis: Pneumopericardium

Echocardiography. 2023 Apr;40(4):370-372. doi: 10.1111/echo.15555. Epub 2023 Mar 27.

Authors

Mustafa Yilmaz¹, Okan Gurkan², Elif Nur Arslanboga³, Pelin Karaca Ozer⁴

Affiliations

¹ Gaziosmanpasa Research and Training Hospital, Cardiology Department, Istanbul, Turkey.
² Gaziosmanpasa Research and Training Hospital, Radiology Department, Istanbul, Turkey.
³ Gaziosmanpasa Research and Training Hospital, Family Medicine Department, Istanbul, Turkey.
⁴ Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine, Cardiology Department, Istanbul, Turkey.

PMID: 36973227
DOI: 10.1111/echo.15555

Abstract

Pneumopericardium is the presence of air in the pericardial sac. Pneumopericardium after pericardiocentesis has been rarely reported in the literature. In the present case, we report a patient who presented with tamponade physiology during COVID-19 and developed pneumopericardium after emergency pericardiocentesis. Immediate recognition and treatment are crucial and chest x-ray, thorax computerized tomography, and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) are used for diagnosis.

Keywords: COVID-19; echocardiography; pericardiocentesis; pneumopericardium.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

COVID-19* / complications
Cardiac Tamponade* / diagnostic imaging
Cardiac Tamponade* / etiology
Humans
Pericardiocentesis / adverse effects
Pericardium
Pneumopericardium* / diagnostic imaging
Pneumopericardium* / etiology
Tomography, X-Ray Computed