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Case report
Tension empyema as a reversible cause for cardiac arrest
  1. D Bramley,
  2. H Dowd,
  3. C Muwanga
  1. Sunderland Royal Hospital, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, UK
  1. Correspondence to:
 Dr H Dowd
 Sunderland Royal Hospital, Kayll Road, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear SR 7TP, UK; hugo.dowdchs.northy.nhs.uk

Abstract

Empyema is a well recognised complication of pneumonia.1 We report a case of pulseless electrical activity (PEA) treated in the emergency department (ED) with intercostal tube drainage based on clinical findings, where a tension empyema was found to be the cause. To our knowledge, this is the first report of actual cardiac arrest from this cause.

  • PEA, pulseless electrical activity
  • arrest
  • cardiac
  • empyema
  • tension

https://doi.org/10.1136/emj.2004.019562

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    Footnotes

    • Competing interests: none declared