title: Intravenous immunoglobulin in treatment of cardiac tamponade in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus.
abstract: We describe a 23-year-old female patient with a history of systemic lupus erythematosus and pulmonary hypertension who developed a large pericardial effusion with cardiac tamponade. Invasive interventions such as pericardial window or pericardiectomy were ruled out because of the posterior localization of the effusion and high risk of general anesthesia in a patient with severe pulmonary hypertension. The patient received high-dose steroids intravenously with no response. A 5-day course of intravenous immunoglobulin resulted in gradual decrease of the pericardial effusion and resolution of cardiac tamponade within 2 weeks.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Hadassah University Hospital, PO Box 12000, 91120 Jerusalem, Israel. talgrenader65@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Tal
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Grenader
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shavit
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002305:Cardiac Tamponade / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications*; D010493:Pericarditis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents