Cardiac herniation after pneumonectomy

Cardiac herniation is a rare, lethal complication of intrapericardial pneumonectomy demanding urgent treatment. It usually occurs within the first 24 h postoperatively. We present a patient with late cardiac herniation, 28 h postoperatively, where the electrocardiographic changes were evident several hours before the clinical picture became clear. After the diagnosis was made, the patient was treated surgically and survived.