Journal of cardiovascular medicine
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J Cardiovasc Med (Hagerstown) · Aug 2012
Case ReportsThe Macklin effect causing a pneumopericardium.
Pleuropericarditis is a common clinical entity that has been reported in association with several diseases. However, pleuropericarditis following blunt thoracic trauma is very rare and difficult to diagnose. Here we present a case of a young man who presented to the emergency department with acute shortness of breath following a motor vehicle accident. He was found to have a pleuro-pericardial communication worsened by barotrauma, resulting in tension pneumopericardium.