A Rare Iatrogenic Trio: Pneumopericardium, Pneumoperitoneum, and Pericarditis

Bharadwaj Satyavolu; Hamza A Lodhi; Adithya Mathews; Priya Bansal; Haider Altaii; Ramez Morcos; Anand Desai; Brijeshwar Maini; Houman Khalili

doi:10.1016/j.jaccas.2021.07.024

A Rare Iatrogenic Trio: Pneumopericardium, Pneumoperitoneum, and Pericarditis

JACC Case Rep. 2021 Oct 6;3(13):1519-1523. doi: 10.1016/j.jaccas.2021.07.024.

Authors

Bharadwaj Satyavolu^{1

2}, Hamza A Lodhi^{1

2}, Adithya Mathews^{1

2}, Priya Bansal^{1

2}, Haider Altaii^{1

2}, Ramez Morcos^{1

2}, Anand Desai^{1

2}, Brijeshwar Maini^{1

2}, Houman Khalili^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA.
² Department of Internal Medicine, Delray Medical Center, Delray Beach, Florida, USA.

Abstract

We present a rare case of iatrogenic pneumopericardium, pneumoperitoneum, and Escherichia coli pericarditis after emergency pericardiocentesis for pericardial tamponade. The patient had profound bowel distention at the time of the procedure that led to iatrogenic pericardioperitoneal fistula formation along with transverse colon perforation, which manifested later after pericardial drain removal. This condition required repeat pericardiocentesis, laparoscopic colon repair, a long course of antibiotics, and an eventual pericardial window. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).

Keywords: CT, computed tomography; E coli, Escherichia coli; complication; pericardial effusion; tamponade.

Publication types

Case Reports