Tension Hydrothorax in a Pediatric Patient with a Ventriculopleural Shunt

Abstract

Ventriculopleural shunts have been utilized in the management of hydrocephalus since the early 1900s. Shunt malfunctions can lead to fluid accumulation in the pleural space and a tension hydrothorax can develop. Improved diagnostic and therapeutic resources have led to an increasing number of ventriculopleural shunts being utilized in patients with symptomatic hydrocephalus. Emergency physicians are being called upon more frequently to diagnose and help manage many of the critical complications that can arise with ventricular shunts. Very little literature exists concerning the evaluation and treatment of patients with a suspected tension hydrothorax secondary to a ventriculopleural shunt malfunction. If left unrecognized and untreated, tension pneumothoraces can progress and result in hemodynamic decompensation and cardiopulmonary arrest. Patient survival depends on early diagnosis and prompt fluid drainage in this clinically challenging scenario. This is the first article in the emergency medicine literature to describe the presentation and management of a pediatric patient who presents to the Emergency Department with a rare diagnosis of a tension hydrothorax secondary to a defective ventriculopleural shunt. The increasing number of ventriculopleural shunts being utilized requires emergency physicians to become familiar with the life-threatening complications that can be associated with these types of shunts. Correctly identifying this complication and initiating immediate treatment can lead to improved patient outcomes.