Pericardial tamponade and right-to-left shunt through patent foramen ovale after epicardial pacing-wire removal.

After cardiac operations, careful management substantially reduces the risks of negative complications during or after the removal of temporary epicardial pacing wires. Herein, we report the case of a 58-year-old man who, 4 days after undergoing aortic root replacement, developed pericardial tamponade after the removal of temporary epicardial pacing wires. Consequent to the tamponade, a right-to-left shunt developed through a previously undiagnosed patent foramen ovale. The patient underwent emergency surgery to repair myocardium that had ruptured due to the removal of the wires, and he recovered uneventfully.