Cardiopulmonary arrest secondary to compression of the heart owing to esophageal hiatal hernia: a case report

BACKGROUND: Esophageal hiatal hernia is commonly encountered in clinical practice. We describe a case of cardiac compression caused by an esophageal hiatal hernia that resulted in circulatory failure and cardiac arrest. CASE PRESENTATION: An 82‐year‐old woman presented to our hospital with vomiting, which progressed to cardiac arrest in the emergency room after computed tomography (CT) imaging. CT revealed gastric herniation into the mediastinum, with marked cardiac compression. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed, and a nasogastric tube was inserted for gastric decompression, which resulted in the return of spontaneous circulation and subsequent hemodynamic stabilization. However, the patient died of aspiration pneumonia 4 days later. CONCLUSION: Gastric decompression can lead to rapid improvements in respiration and circulation in patients with an esophageal hiatal hernia. Nonetheless, to prevent complications, such as those observed in our patient, definitive surgical treatment is warranted.