SESSION TITLE: Cardiovascular Complications in Patients with COVID-19
SESSION TYPE: Rapid Fire Case Reports
PRESENTED ON: 10/19/2022 12:45 pm - 1:45 pm
INTRODUCTION: Pneumopericardium is the presence of air or gas in the pericardial space, usually secondary to blunt or penetrating trauma. Most pneumopericardium are non-tension. The use of positive pressure ventilation (PPV) increases the chances of developing a tension pneumopericardium. We report the case of a 22-year-old male patient admitted for COVID-19 pneumonia who developed pneumopericardium with cardiac tamponade features.
CASE PRESENTATION: A 22-year-old male was admitted for acute respiratory distress syndrome due to COVID-19 pneumonia and required intubation on hospital day 10. The next day, he became febrile with new leukocytosis. A chest x-ray showed new extensive pneumomediastinum and pneumopericardium. Vasopressor support and broad-spectrum antibiotics were started for septic shock, however he continued to decompensate rapidly, requiring maximal medical support. His arterial line waveform showed pulsus paradoxus, leading to concern for underlying tension pneumopericardium. Bedside echo was unrevealing as imaging was obstructed by the air in pericardial sac. The patient was too unstable for a CT scan of the chest. After extensive discussion with his family, he was placed on palliative measures only and expired.
DISCUSSION: Pneumopericardium is due to an abnormal connection between the pericardial space and a source of air or gas. Levin and Macklin describe three main mechanisms by which this connection can be made. The first: acute rises in alveolar pressure and volume or ventilator associated lung injury leading to rupture of alveoli with gas tracking along perivascular and peri bronchial sheaths to the mediastinum. The second: macro-perforation of the pericardial space leading to communication with respiratory or gastrointestinal tracts. Third: existence of a pneumothorax in the presence of traumatic pericardial tear or congenital pleuro-pericardial connection. Spontaneous pneumopericardium without any anatomic connection is rare and is due to a direct extension of infectious etiologies of the lungs or by an infection of the pericardial space with gas forming bacteria. A tension pneumopericardium causing cardiac tamponade can develop from pneumopericardium with PPV where the pericardial sac acts as a shutter valve letting air in but not out as has been reported sparingly in the literature. Cummings et al described 93 patients who developed tamponade out of 252 patients with pneumopericardium. Our patient possibly developed a pleuro-pericardial tract secondary to his pneumonia. With continued PPV his simple pneumopericardium likely developed into a tension pneumopericardium evidenced by arterial waveforms consistent with pulsus paradoxus, worsening hypotension despite maximal vasopressor support and development of ventricular tachycardia.
CONCLUSIONS: Our case highlights the importance of considering pneumopericardium causing cardiac tamponade in the setting of mechanical ventilation.
Reference #1: Mindaye ET, Arayia A, Tufa TH, Bekele M. Iatrogenic pneumopericardium after tube thoracostomy: A case report. Vol. 76, International journal of surgery case reports. 2020. p. 259–62.
Reference #2: Cummings RG, Wesly RL, Adams DH, Lowe JE. Pneumopericardium resulting in cardiac tamponade. Ann Thorac Surg. 1984 Jun;37(6):511–8.
Reference #3: Levin AI, Visser F, Mattheyse F, Coetzee A. Tension pneumopericardium during positive-pressure ventilation leading to cardiac arrest. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2008 Dec;22(6):879–82.
MACKLIN CC. TRANSPORT OF AIR ALONG SHEATHS OF PULMONIC BLOOD VESSELS FROM ALVEOLI TO MEDIASTINUM: CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS. Arch Intern Med [Internet]. 1939 Nov 1;64(5):913–26. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.1939.00190050019003
DISCLOSURES: No relevant relationships by Aarti Mittal
No relevant relationships by Beenish Naqvi