Key result
A very premature infant died on day 17 of life due to clinically unsuspected cardiac tamponade from an idiopathic pericardial effusion.
Case Report (n=1)
Highlights idiopathic hydropericardium as a rare but fatal cause of cardiac tamponade in preterm neonates.
May warrant consideration of idiopathic pericardial effusion in unstable preterms; leaves open the value of proactive imaging or screening protocols.
We report a case of a very premature infant who died on day 17 of life because of clinically unsuspected cardiac tamponade due to a pericardial effusion with no gross or microscopic features of myocardial inflammation or perforation. The pericardial effusion probably accumulated for 8 days prior to his death, as evidenced by chest X-ray films. The only relevant microscopic finding was a prominent pericardial and myocardial interstitial edema. Although Staphylococcus epidermidis line sepsis, central venous catheter trauma, hypoalbuminemia, anemia, and heart failure could be possible contributory factors, no definitive cause of the pericardial effusion was found and the etiology of this condition remains obscure.
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Stanek et al. (1993) conducted a case report in Idiopathic Hydropericardium / Cardiac tamponade (n=1). Idiopathic Hydropericardium was evaluated on Death. A very premature infant died on day 17 of life due to clinically unsuspected cardiac tamponade from an idiopathic pericardial effusion.
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