title: Avoiding the left internal mammary artery during anterior pericardiocentesis.
abstract: In patients with pericardial effusions who require anterior pericardiocentesis, it is important to avoid trauma to the left internal mammary artery. Such trauma could result in severe bleeding or tamponade. This article describes how the left internal mammary artery may be identified by duplex ultrasound, and therefore avoided. It is also important to ensure that the needle stick is just lateral to the artery, to avoid hitting the left lung.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Department of Surgery, Noninvasive Cardiology Laboratory, NYU School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, USA. Itzhak.Kronzon@med.nyu.edu
authors.forename: Itzhak
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kronzon
authors.forename: Lawrence R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Glassman
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Tunick
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008323:Mammary Arteries; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy; D020519:Pericardiocentesis / Q000379:methods