title: Complete rightward cardiac luxation caused due to left tension pneumothorax.
abstract: We present a 4-year-old patient with severe rightward cardiac dislocation due to left tension pneumothorax after surgical closure of a perimembranous ventricular septal defect. The chest roentgenograms showed the "dextrocardia-like" appearance of the cardiac silhouette. Given the persistent severe cardiac dislocation despite resolution of the pneumothorax, and considering the patient's ongoing hemodynamic instability, we decided to reopen the chest to return the heart to its natural position. The procedure was uneventful, and the patient was discharged at home on postoperative day 5.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Unit, Cardiovascular Department, "Ospedali Riuniti", Bergamo, Italy. ducciofederici@yahoo.it
authors.forename: Duccio
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Federici
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vavassori
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mantovani
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cattaneo
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ciuffreda
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Seddio
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Galletti
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D006345:Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery
keywords: 20