Usefulness of a hand-carried cardiac ultrasound device for bedside examination of pericardial effusion in patients after cardiac surgery.
To identify the incidence of pericardial effusion in patients after cardiac surgery using a hand-carried cardiac ultrasound device, 200 patients were assessed on postoperative day 3. If a pericardial effusion was found, patients were monitored for 3 consecutive days with a hand-carried cardiac ultrasound device. Within 72 hours after surgery, 43 patients (21.5%) had developed an effusion, of whom 2 patients had cardiac tamponade and 41 patients (21%) had a small pericardial effusion. No difference was found in the incidence of effusion based on the type of cardiac surgery. Of patients with a small pericardial effusion on day 3 after surgery, an additional 2 of 41 (5%) developed cardiac tamponade.
Division of Cardiology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California 90048, USA.
Huai
H
Luo
Ming
M
Chen
Alfredo
A
Trento
Takashi
T
Miyamoto
Sergio L
SL
Kobal
Yoram
Y
Neuman
Tasneem Z
TZ
Naqvi
Kirsten
K
Tolstrup
Robert J
RJ
Siegel
D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D002305:Cardiac Tamponade / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003325:Coronary Care Units; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity