Delayed cardiac tamponade after the Nuss procedure for pectus excavatum: a case report and simple management

A 22-year-old man presented at our emergency department with clinical signs of cardiac tamponade that required emergency surgery. We treated this patient by using emergency echocardiographically guided pericardiocentesis with insertion of a central venous catheter for drainage without removal of the steel bar. The causes of his pericardial effusion appeared to have been displacement of the bar from a pectus excavatum repair 6 months previously and his ingestion of ginseng extract. This case illustrates a possible cause of cardiac tamponade after the Nuss procedure and a simple way to manage it.