British Journal of Anaesthesia, 2001, Vol. 87, No. 2 309-312
© 2001 The Board of Management and Trustees of the British Journal of Anaesthesia
Case Reports |
Delayed diagnosis of cardiac tamponade following isolated blunt abdominal trauma
Departments of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Fremantle Hospital, Alma Street Fremantle, WA 6160, Australia*Corresponding author. Current address: Department of Anaesthesia, The Maritime Medway Hospital, Windmill Road, Gillingham ME7 5NY, UK
Traumatic haemopericardium is an uncommon but life threatening condition. It is usually caused by penetrating cardiac injuries or cardiac rupture from blunt chest trauma. We report haemopericardium and cardiac tamponade in a young girl after blunt abdominal trauma. She presented with mild upper abdominal pain, tachycardia and hypotension having been kicked in the abdomen by a horse. No damage was found at laparotomy and she remained haemodynamically unstable. Further investigation found cardiac tamponade and haemopericardium. This was managed by insertion of a pericardial drain using transthoracic echocardiogram guidance, with later drainage in the operating theatre using guidance with a transoesophageal echocardiogram.
Br J Anaesth 2001; 87: 30912