Acute hypoxia due to right to left blood shunting in a patient with atrial septal defect.
Acute right to left blood shunt is an unusual cause of acute hypoxia. We describe a case of a patient with an atrial septal defect who developed acute hypoxia due to cardiac tamponade. Acute haemopericardium developed as a complication of temporary transvenous cardiac pacing. Bubble contrast echocardiography confirmed right to left blood shunting at the atrial level. Acute hypoxaemia and the right to left blood shunt resolved when the pericardium was drained. The case underscores the importance of evaluating the presence of an intracardial shunt in patients with otherwise inexplicable hypoxia.
Solar
Miroslav
M
Department of Internal Medicine, Charles University Prague, Medical Faculty Hradec Kralove, University Hospital Hradec Kralove, Sokolska 581, Hradec Kralove 500 05, Czech Republic. solarmir@seznam.cz
Fridrich
Jan
J
Ceral
Jiri
J
Borovec
Martin
M
D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial / Q000009:adverse effects; D002305:Cardiac Tamponade / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003287:Contrast Media; D004322:Drainage; D004452:Echocardiography; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006344:Heart Septal Defects, Atrial / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000209:etiology*; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy
D003287:Contrast Media