Organ Transplantation Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Organ Transplantation, including details on risks, prognosis, procedure, surgery.

Early cardiac tamponade due to tension pneumopericardium after bilateral lung transplantation.

Lasocki S, Castier Y, Geffroy A, Mal H, Brugière O, Lesèche G, Montravers P

Réanimation Chirurgicale, CHU Bichat-Claude Bernard, Université Paris VII, Paris, France. sigismond.lasocki@bch.aphp.fr

We report the case of a 42-year-old woman who developed severe hemodynamic instability with marked arterial pulsed pressure variation in the early course of bilateral lung transplantation. The diagnosis of tension pneumopericardium was made on Day 2 post-operatively based on chest X-ray and echocardiography. Transoesophageal echocardiography revealed both a cardiac tamponade and a right-to-left shunt via a patent foramen ovale. The treatment and mechanisms of these two rare complications are discussed.

Published 8 October 2007 in J Heart Lung Transplant, 26(10): 1069-71.
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