Cardiac tamponade is a rare and serious complication of chest tube placement that should be considered if a patient's clinical condition deteriorates during insertion.
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May warrant considering tamponade if deterioration occurs during chest tube insertion; hypothesis-generating for incidence and prevention.
A 69-year-old woman was hospitalized because of a left-sided pneumothorax due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. During chest tube placement she developed hypotension and a decrease in peripheral oxygen saturation. A diagnosis of heart tamponade was made and the patient was treated successfully with pericardiocentesis and placement of a pericardial drain. Cardiac tamponade following chest tube placement is a rare and serious complication. When the clinical condition deteriorates following chest tube insertion, cardiac tamponade should be considered.
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Hesselink et al. (2001) studied this question.
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