Presse Med. 2003 Feb; 32(7): 311-2.

[Bilateral pneumothorax and tamponade after acupuncture]

Cantan R, Milesi-Defrance N, Hardenberg K, Vernet M, Messant I, Freysz M.

INTRODUCTION: The "target" of acupuncture is usually the muscle, but it occasionally approaches other anatomical structures such as the pleura, which may subsequently suffer damage. OBSERVATION: During a session of acupuncture, a 25-year-old woman had a malaise with shock and neurological disorders. The initial examinations revealed a bilateral pneumothorax associated with pericardial and peritoneal effusions. Symptomatic reanimation combining dopamine, left pleural draining and pericardial puncture led to rapid haemodynamic improvement. The etiological exploration, having eliminated an underlying pathology, concluded in the diagnosis of tamponade and bilateral pneumothorax following a session of acupuncture. COMMENTS: Our patient presented the association of two traumatic complications of acupuncture: cardiac tamponade due to haemopericardium and bilateral pneumothorax. Although these complications are rare, they must be known.