Pericardial tamponade due to perforation of a posterolateral branch of the circumflex artery caused by a perforating edge of a resected rib following orthopedic surgery in a 14-year-old patient.

A 14-year-old female patient with Marfan syndrome was resuscitated because of pericardial tamponade following orthopedic surgery to correct scoliosis. The emergency sternotomy revealed injury to a posterolateral branch of the circumflex artery caused by pericardial perforation by the stump of a previously resected rib. Cardiopulmonary bypass immediately restored the circulation, and the primarily dilated, noncontractile heart regained its contractile function. The small posterolateral branch was sewn over, and the sharp edge of the rib stump was smoothed by abrasion and covered with a Gore-Tex membrane. The patient recovered completely during the remainder of her postoperative stay.