title: Pericardial effusion early in acute myocardial infarction.
abstract: The incidence and significance of pericardial effusions early in acute myocardial infarction remain unclear. Using two-dimensional echocardiography, 172 patients with an acute myocardial infarction were evaluated within 72 h of presentation. Thirty patients (17%) had a pericardial effusion (29 small, 1 moderate) while 142 (83%) did not. No patient developed cardiac tamponade or required pericardiocentesis. Patients with pericardial effusions had higher peak creatine kinase as compared to patients without effusions (2036 +/- 1466 vs. 1483 +/- 1241, p less than 0.05) and a greater number of aneurysms (20% vs. 6%, p less than 0.05). In-hospital mortality was higher in the patients with pericardial effusions (10% vs. 2%, p less than 0.05). In conclusion, pericardial effusions are common in the early AMI period but are generally small and hemodynamically insignificant. They are associated with larger infarcts and greater mortality.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Maimonides Medical Center, State University of New York--Health Science Center, Brooklyn, 12219.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Charlap
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Greenberg
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Greengart
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Budzilowicz
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gelbfish
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hollander
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shani
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lichstein
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006322:Heart Aneurysm / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications*; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D011446:Prospective Studies