Spontaneous pneumopericardium in a term newborn: a case report

Amy Haley,Prasanthi Koduru Mishra,Fayez Bany-Mohammed

doi:10.15406/ijrrt.2018.05.00149

Abstract

Neonatal pneumopericardium NPPC is a rare clinical condition that is usually described in the context of neonatal respiratory diseases that require assisted ventilation It is usually associated with other air leak syndromes like pulmonary interstitial emphysema pneumothorax pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema NPPC can lead to serious complications including sudden cardiac arrest Prompt recognition and treatment if necessary are important for successful outcome Treatment options include pericardiocentesis oxygen therapy for nitrogen wash out and treating the underlying associated other air like syndromes like pneumothorax We report a case of spontaneous pneumopericardium in a term neonate without any underlying lung pathology or exposure to positive pressure ventilation The patient was treated successfully with oxygen therapy and discharged home without complications

Highlights

Neonatal pneumopericardium is the least common form of airleak syndromes
Neonatal pneumopericardium has been well described in neonates with respiratory disorders that require assisted ventilation including respiratory distress syndrome, congenital pneumonia and meconium aspiration syndrome.[2,3]
Pneumopericardium generally occurs in association with other air leaks,[1,4,5] and the incidence is increased in patients with an underlying pulmonary disease such as respiratory distress syndrome,[5] after vigorous resuscitation, or in the presence of assisted ventilation.[3,14,15]

Summary

Introduction

Neonatal pneumopericardium is the least common form of airleak syndromes. It can lead to serious complications including sudden cardiac arrest. It usually occurs in association with or is preceded by other air-leak syndromes like pulmonary interstitial emphysema, pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema.[1] Neonatal pneumopericardium has been well described in neonates with respiratory disorders that require assisted ventilation including respiratory distress syndrome, congenital pneumonia and meconium aspiration syndrome.[2,3] Premature infants with respiratory distress syndrome requiring mechanical ventilation[4,5] or even nasal continuous positive airway pressure[6,7,8] are a higher risk group to develop pneumopericardium.

Results

Conclusion