Abstract
BackgroundTraumatic pneumopericardium is rare and usually results from blunt injury. Diagnosis through clinical and chest X-ray is often difficult. Ultrasound findings of A-line artifacts in the cardiac window may suggest pneumopericardium.Case presentationA young man involved in a car accident and sustained blunt thoracic injuries, among others. As part of primary survey, FAST scan was performed. Subxiphoid view to look for evidence of pericardial effusion showed part of the cardiac image obscured by A-lines. Other cardiac windows showed only A-lines, as well. A suspicion of pneumopericardium was raised and CT scan confirmed the diagnosis.ConclusionsAlthough FAST scan was originally used to look for presence of free fluid, with the knowledge of lung ultrasound for pneumothorax, our findings suggest that FAST scan can also be used to detect pneumopericardium.
Highlights
Traumatic pneumopericardium is rare and usually results from blunt injury
Focused assessment of sonography in trauma (FAST) scan was originally used to look for presence of free fluid, with the knowledge of lung ultrasound for pneumothorax, our findings suggest that FAST scan can be used to detect pneumopericardium
Pneumopericardium is defined as the presence of air inside the pericardium region and it is commonly found in infants with positive pressure ventilation
Summary
Pneumopericardium is defined as the presence of air inside the pericardium region and it is commonly found in infants with positive pressure ventilation. We report a case of utilizing FAST scan to diagnose pneumopericardium in a trauma patient. Case presentation A 27-year-old male involved in a motor vehicle accident was brought to Emergency Department room with respiratory distress. He was intubated upon arrival due to low Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) with extensive maxillofacial injuries. Part of the cardiac image was obscured by A-lines (Fig. 1) This raised a suspicion of pneumopericardium given the subxiphoid window was showing partly A-lines and the other half of anatomy partially obscured. The patient underwent head and chest CT scan that confirmed the diagnosis of Le Fort II facial bone injury, right pneumothorax, and right pulmonary contusion with pneumopericardium (Fig. 2). The pneumopericardium was treated conservatively, but other injuries were treated
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
