title: Intrapericardial haematoma: a rare cause of congestive cardiac failure after three years of coronary artery bypass grafting.
abstract: We present a rare case of organised intrapericardial haematoma after three years of coronary artery bypass grafting. Delayed cardiac tamponade after open heart surgery usually occurs within first few weeks of surgery. Intrapericardial organised haematoma causing localised compression of cardiac chambers after three years of open heart surgery is very rare. Under cardiopulmonary bypass and cardioplegic cardiac arrest, we removed the haematoma. It is difficult to make a clinical diagnosis. However once diagnosis is made and haematoma removed, it gives good symptomatic relief to the patient.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Waikato Hospital, Hamilton, New Zealand. pawan.singhal@xtra.co.nz
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Singhal
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Riordan
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002305:Cardiac Tamponade / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000209:etiology*; D006406:Hematoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D019106:Postoperative Hemorrhage