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Pericardial Complications of Cardiac Surgery: Emphasis on the Diagnostic Role of Echocardiography
Author(s) -
D'CRUZ IVAN A.,
OVERTON DOLPHIN H.,
PAI GANESH M.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
journal of cardiac surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.428
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1540-8191
pISSN - 0886-0440
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-8191.1992.tb00811.x
Subject(s) - medicine , pericardial effusion , cardiac tamponade , constrictive pericarditis , tamponade , cardiac surgery , pericarditis , cardiology , surgery , pericardial fluid , radiology
A bstract Pericardial effusions are common following cardiac surgery; uncommonly they are large in size and may cause tamponade, either in the early or late postoperative period. Such effusions causing tamponade may be circumcardiac, but are frequently loculated, in which case one or more cardiac chambers is selectively compressed. Fortunately, echocardiography is capable of imaging not only the presence, location, and size of the pericardial effusion, but also indicating the presence of tamponade. Constrictive pericarditis resulting from cardiac surgery is being recognized with increasing frequency and has been associated with various echocar‐diographic abnormalities. This review also discusses certain other pericardial complications of cardiac surgery including supraventricular arrhythmias, chylopericardium, and posttransplant problems.