TENSION PNEUMOPERICARDIUM IN A PRETERM INFANT WITHOUT MECHANICAL VENTILATION - A RARE CAUSE OF CARDIAC-ARREST

A preterm infant with a gestational age of 32 weeks developed a tensio n pneumopericardium during the second day of life. The infant was trea ted with nasal continuous positive airway pressure and was not mechani cally ventilated before pneumopericardium occurred. After emergency pe ricardiocentesis, two recurrences of pneumopericardium without clinica l deterioration were diagnosed by X-ray during a 2-d observation perio d. A continuous pericardial drainage was positioned and was successful ly removed on the seventh day of life after weaning from the ventilato r. Tension pneumopericardium may occur even in nonventilated newborns and should be considered as a rare but important differential diagnosi s of cardiac arrest.