Related Experiment Videos
Pneumopericardium in a patient with AIDS
Gary S Kabinoff1, Bernard Gitler
1Department of Medicine, Sound Shore Medical Center of Westchester, New Rochelle, NY 10802, USA.
Texas Heart Institute Journal
|May 9, 2002
Summary
A rare case of pneumopericardium, or air in the pericardial sac, occurred in an HIV-positive patient without trauma. This finding highlights a potential, previously unreported association with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
Area of Science:
- Medicine
- Pulmonology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Pneumopericardium is a rare condition, typically associated with trauma in adults.
- Underlying disease processes are often linked to pneumopericardium, but a clear cause is not always identified.
Observation:
- A 53-year-old male smoker with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) presented with shortness of breath and lung infiltrate.
- Computed tomography confirmed pneumopericardium and a cavitary infiltrate, with Staphylococcus aureus identified in sputum cultures.
- Bronchial biopsy revealed squamous cell carcinoma, but no bronchopericardial fistula was initially detected.
Findings:
- The patient developed pneumopericardium without a history of trauma or a documented communicating fistula.
- Initial antibiotic treatment resolved the pneumopericardium and lung infiltrate, but a large pericardial effusion was subsequently noted.
- This case represents the first reported instance of pneumopericardium in association with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
Implications:
- This case suggests a potential, previously unrecognized link between HIV infection and the development of pneumopericardium.
- Further research is warranted to explore the mechanisms and prevalence of pneumopericardium in immunocompromised individuals.
- This finding may prompt clinicians to consider pneumopericardium in the differential diagnosis of respiratory distress in HIV-positive patients, even in the absence of trauma.