title: Cardiac tamponade due to pneumopericardium.
abstract: We describe a newborn with acute respiratory distress syndrome, subjected to mechanical ventilatory assistance with high level of peak inspiratory pressure (PIP) and positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP), who developed cardiac tamponade due to pneumopericardium. Tension pneumopericardium produces the same physiological derangement as cardiac tamponade secondary to accumulated blood or other fluids. This life-threatening complication demands immediate diagnosis and treatment.
authors.affiliation: Critical Care Units of the Instituto Médico La Floresta and The University Hospital of Caracas, and Laboratory of Interventional Cardiology, Caracas, Venezuela. maxtrujilo@telcel.net.ve
authors.forename: Maximo H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Trujillo
authors.forename: Carlos F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Fragachan
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tortoledo
mesh_terms: D002305:Cardiac Tamponade / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007385:Intermittent Positive-Pressure Ventilation; D010366:Peak Expiratory Flow Rate; D011026:Pneumopericardium / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D011175:Positive-Pressure Respiration; D012127:Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy