Ventricular pseudoaneurysm associated with cardiopulmonary resuscitation 6 weeks after mitral valve replacement

Trauma to the heart and mediastinum is associated with external cardiac massage. A patient had undergone a redo mitral valve replacement and experienced an uneventful postoperative course. During a visit to her physician 6 weeks after operation, she experienced ventricular fibrillation that required external cardiac massage and subsequent defibrillation. Postresuscitation evaluation revealed a posterior pseudoaneurysm of the ventricle. This was repaired via a transthoracic approach with the use of profound hypothermia.