title: Cardiac tamponade in medical patients: a 10-year follow-up survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cardiac tamponade represents a life-threatening condition that may complicate almost any cause of pericarditis. We conducted a 10-year prospective survey on patients with cardiac tamponade requiring an emergency drainage.
  
  
  METHODS
  From 1996 to 2005, 114 consecutive patients were admitted to the University Hospital of Brest for medical cardiac tamponade. Data on medical history, and volume, characteristics and histology of the pericardial fluid as well as short- and long-term follow-up data were collected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Malignant disease was the primary cause of medical tamponade (74 patients; 65%), followed by viral history (11; 10%) and intra-pericardial bleeding due to anti-coagulation treatment (4; 3%). In 12 cases, aetiology remained unknown (10%). Pericardiocentesis was immediately performed in 80 cases and surgical pericardiotomy in 34. The mean volume drained was 593 +/- 313 ml. In-hospital mortality was 10% without any difference between malignant and non-malignant diseases (p = 0.8). One-year mortality was 76.5% in patients with malignant disease and 13.3% in those without malignant disease (p < 0.0001). Median survival in case of malignant disease was 150 days.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared to previously published data, our survey shows a decrease in some historical causes of tamponade such as tuberculosis, myxoedema or uraemia. The leading cause is currently malignant disease, which carries a very poor prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Brest University Hospital, Brest, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Christophe
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Cornily
authors.forename: Pierre-Yves
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Pennec
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Castellant
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bezon
authors.forename: Grégoire
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Le Gal
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gilard
authors.forename: Yannick
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jobic
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Boschat
authors.forename: Jean-Jacques
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Blanc
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002305:Cardiac Tamponade / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D010492:Pericardiectomy; D020519:Pericardiocentesis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome