title: An unusual complication following pericardiocentesis: reversible left ventricular dysfunction.
abstract: We report a case of a 78-year-old woman admitted to hospital due to cardiac tamponade 3 months after surgical mitral valve repair. The patient developed an early left ventricular dysfunction after removal of the pericardial effusion, with complete recovery within 10 days. Transient ventricular dysfunction after pericardiocentesis is a very rare complication, we present a review of the different mechanisms suggested in the literature to explain the pathophysiology of this rare phenomenon.
authors.affiliation: aInvasive Cardiology Unit, Giovanni Battista Grassi Hospital - Tor Vergata University bDivision of Cardiology Giovanni Battista Grassi Hospital cDivision of Cardiovascular Surgery Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Versaci
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Donati
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mezzanotte
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chiariello
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ammirati
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002305:Cardiac Tamponade / Q000601:surgery*; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020519:Pericardiocentesis; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*