We have experenced the 37 patients of pericardial effusion during last 8 years (1986~1993). They were 17 male and 20 female patients, and their age range was 6months to 80 years.
The causes of this pericardial effusion were 10 cases of tuberculosis, 7 cases of malignancy, 2 cases of acute pyogenic infection, 2 cases of postpericardiotomy pericardial effusion, 2 cases of trauma, 1 case of congenital heart disease, 1 case
of
SLE.,
and other 12 cases of unknown origin.
All patients, except one, were managed by pericardiotomy with subxiphoid tube drainage. One case was managed by pericardiectomy. After operation, their symptoms and sign were dramaticaly improved. However, 3 patients were died postoperatively.
Two
of
them were died of respiratory failure. One of them was died 28 months later with unrelated cause. They have already far advanced lung cancer.
We conclude that the pericardiotomy with subxiphoid tube drainage was effective treatment in the patients with pericardial effusion.
(Korean J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1995;28:487-90)
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