title: Air tamponade of the heart.
abstract: Pneumopericardium is a rare disease defined as the presence of air or gas in the pericardial sac. Among the etiological factors, the following stand out: chest trauma, barotrauma, air-containing fistulas between the pericardium and the surrounding structures, secondary gas production by microorganisms growing in the pericardial sac, and iatrogenic factors. Until now, spontaneous pneumopericardium has been considered a harmless and temporary state, but a review of clinical cases indicates that the presence of air in the pericardium can lead to cardiac tamponade and life-threatening hemodynamic disturbances. We present the case of an 80-year-old patient with a chronic bronchopericardial fistula, who suffered from a cardiac arrest due to air tamponade of the heart.
authors: Clinic of Thoracic Surgery, Municipal Hospital, Olsztyn, Poland.
authors: Janusz J
authors: JJ
authors: Gołota
authors: Clinic of Surgery, Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Warsaw, Poland.
authors: Tadeusz
authors: T
authors: Orłowski
authors: Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medical Sciences of the University of Warmia and Mazury, Olsztyn, Poland.
authors: Katarzyna
authors: K
authors: Iwanowicz
authors: Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medical Sciences of the University of Warmia and Mazury, Olsztyn, Poland.
authors: Jadwiga
authors: J
authors: Snarska
keywords: fistula; lung cancer; pericardium; pleura