title: Successful treatment of refractory cardiac tamponade due to rheumatoid arthritis using pericardial drainage.
abstract: Rheumatoid pericarditis occurs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, cardiac tamponade due to rheumatoid pericarditis is rare; we describe a case of a 72-year-old man with a 6-year history of rheumatoid arthritis who developed rheumatoid pericarditis with recurrent cardiac tamponade. The patient experienced relapse of the cardiac tamponade despite treatment with pericardiocentesis. Therefore, the patient underwent surgical pericardial drainage. The patient was also subsequently treated with increasing doses of corticosteroid, methotrexate and leukocytapheresis. These treatments resulted in a successful outcome without any complication. This case suggests that in addition to immunosuppressive therapy, pericardial drainage should be considered in the treatment of life-threatening refractory cardiac tamponade caused by rheumatoid arthritis.
authors: Department of General Internal Medicine, NHO National Nagasaki Medical Center, Kubara 2-1001-1, Omura, Nagasaki 856-8562, Japan.
authors: Hiroko
authors: H
authors: Imadachi
authors: Shunsuke
authors: S
authors: Imadachi
authors: Tomohiro
authors: T
authors: Koga
authors: Taichiro
authors: T
authors: Miyashita
authors: Yasumori
authors: Y
authors: Izumi
authors: Hayato
authors: H
authors: Takayama
authors: Chikaaki
authors: C
authors: Nakamichi
authors: Masayoshi
authors: M
authors: Hamawaki
authors: Hiroshi
authors: H
authors: Yamaguchi
authors: Seiji
authors: S
authors: Matsukuma
authors: Masahiro
authors: M
authors: Ito
authors: Kazushige
authors: K
authors: Maeda
authors: Satoru
authors: S
authors: Motokawa
authors: Osamu
authors: O
authors: Sasaki
authors: Kiysohi
authors: K
authors: Migita
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications*; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D002305:Cardiac Tamponade / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010493:Pericarditis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D013396:Suction / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome