[Postoperative Pneumothorax Induced by Temporary Epicardial Pacing Wire Placed in Minimally Invasive Cardiac...

We report a case of pneumothorax induced by the temporary epicardial pacing wire placement during minimally invasive atrium septum defect closure via right mini-thoracotomy. Temporary epicardial pacing wires are commonly employed in cardiac surgery with complications being rare. In this case, the wire sutured on the right surface of the right atrium directly contacted the right lung, resulting in pneumothorax, as the pericardium, harvested for atrium septum defect closure, was not sutured. Since conservative treatment was not effective, the patient underwent video assisted lung repair surgery. The postoperative course was otherwise uneventful, and the patient was discharged on the 10th postoperative day. Preventive measures such as positioning the wire on the anterior surface of the right atrium, should be considered to mitigate this risk.