Pericardial effusion in an extreme low birth weight neonate with peripherally inserted central catheter

Pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade are rare complications of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) in extreme low birth weight neonates. Paying attention to this complications is so important because they can cause the baby to die. What occurred in our neonate is sample of this complication. On the 39th day of the birth of neonate, the muffle sounds of heart and pathological murmur in heart auscultation raised the doubt of existing problem in neonate’s heart so echocardiography was performed. The report was massive pericardial effusion impending to tamponade. After pericardiocentesis for saving neonate’ life, diagnostic evaluations performed and after ruling out probable causes, PICC was proved as the cause of this complications. Although this complications occurs and diagnosed usually with symptoms like bradycardia, hypotension, and drop in saturation or cardiac arrest but in our neonate the first step of diagnosis was abnormal heart examination. So it is necessary of all of neonatologists to pay attention to heart examination of neonates with PICC along other symptoms such as bradycardia, hypotension, and drop in saturation or cardiac arrest to avoid occurring pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade as rare complications of PICC and they should consider pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade as fatal complications of PICC in extreme low birth weight neonates with PICC

کلیدواژه ها:

Extreme low birth weight ، Peripherally inserted central catheters ، Pericardial effusion ، Cardiac tamponade