title: Pericardial effusion after cardiac surgery: incidence, relation to the type of surgery, antithrombotic therapy, and early coronary bypass graft patency.
abstract: To investigate the incidence and clinical significance of postoperative pericardial effusion (PE), the presence of PE was evaluated by echocardiography, 1 and 2 weeks postoperatively, in 50 patients after insertion of a valve prosthesis and in 100 patients after coronary bypass surgery (50 patients receiving a combination of aspirin and dipyridamole and 50 receiving warfarin). PE was found during either procedure in 77% of patients and was marked in 29%. Symptoms of postpericardiotomy syndrome (p less than 0.05), pericardial friction rub (p less than 0.01), atrial arrhythmias (p less than 0.05), cardiac enlargement (p less than 0.01), and pleural effusion (p less than 0.05) were detected more frequently in patients with PE than in those without PE. PE was not related to the type of antithrombotic therapy, the rate of coronary bypass graft occlusion, or the type of cardiac surgery. However, the use of the left internal mammary artery as a coronary bypass graft was associated with a slightly higher incidence of PE (p less than 0.05). One patient (0.7%) required surgical drainage of PE. It was concluded that PE is a common and benign finding after cardiac surgery and usually disappears without specific therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Oulu University Central Hospital, Finland.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Ikäheimo
authors.forename: H V
authors.initials: HV
authors.lastname: Huikuri
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Airaksinen
authors.forename: U R
authors.initials: UR
authors.lastname: Korhonen
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Linnaluoto
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Tarkka
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Takkunen
mesh_terms: D001021:Aortic Valve; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000379:methods; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004452:Echocardiography; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006083:Graft Occlusion, Vascular / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D011300:Preoperative Care; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents