Localized pericardial hematoma presenting with acute hypoxemia.
Overview
abstract
Localized pericardial hematomas after cardiac surgery may have atypical clinical presentations due to regional alterations in cardiac function and hemodynamics. We report a case of extravascular thrombus that compressed the main pulmonary artery and produced acute hypoxemia due to right-to-left shunting across a patent foramen ovale. We review the pathophysiology leading to this finding and the echocardiographic studies that established the diagnosis.