Pericardial effusions

The presence of pulmonary hypertension (PH) may affect whether cardiac tamponade physiology develops from a pericardial effusion. Specifically, the increased intracardiac pressure and right ventricular hypertrophy associated with PH would seemingly increase the intrapericardial pressure threshold at which the right-sided chambers collapse. In this systematic review, we examined the impact of PH on the incidence, in-hospital and long-term mortality, and echocardiographic findings of patients with cardiac tamponade...

A male in his 60s presented to the emergency department with a seven-day history of progressively worsening malaise, dyspnea, nausea, and vomiting. The patient quickly developed septic and obstructive shock, with the ensuing investigation significant for a purulent pericardial effusion causing cardiac tamponade. Subsequent cultures grew  Campylobacter ureolyticus,  which is commonly associated with the gastrointestinal tract and is one of many microorganisms that cause diarrhea .  Yet, studies have identified this pathogenic organism in oral infections, infectious meningitis, and soft tissue infections, but not pericardial effusions...

BACKGROUND: Pericardial masses are an extremely rare group of diseases which can be classified based on etiology. The presentation of pericardial masses varies considerably from one individual to another, ranging from an asymptomatic presentation with an incidental finding on imaging, to presenting with non-specific signs and symptoms. Due to the enigmatic nature and presentation of pericardial masses, diagnostic imaging is mandatory. CASE PRESENTATION: A 69-year-old patient presented to our cardiology clinic complaining of intermittent shortness of breath upon moderate exertion in the absence of chest pain, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, orthopnea, dizziness, palpitations, or lower limb edema...

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This study conducts the first meta-analysis to assess the aggregated risk of malignancy associated with each category of the International System for Reporting Serous Fluid Cytopathology (ISRSFC) for reporting serous effusion cytology, while also evaluating diagnostic accuracy. PubMed/MEDLINE and Embase were systematically searched using the keywords "(pleural, peritoneal, and pericardial effusions) AND (serous effusion cytology) OR (International System for Reporting Serous Fluid Cytopathology)". Articles underwent risk of bias assessment using the QUADAS-2 tool...

BACKGROUND: The clinical presentation of left ventricular free wall rupture (LVFWR) varies ranging from uneventful condition to congestive heart failure. Here we report two cases of LVFWR with different clinical presentation and notable outcome. A 53-year-old male presenting emergently with signs of myocardial infarction received immediate coronary angiography and thoracic CT-scan showing occlusion of the first marginal coronary branch without possibility of revascularization and minimal pericardial extravasation...

BACKGROUND: Hyperprogressive disease is an unexpected response pattern observed in immune checkpoint therapy and associated with poor prognosis. The rechallenge of programmed cell death 1/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) inhibitors can be a treatment option in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who once responded to them. Here, we reported the hyperprogressive phenomenon after PD-1/PD-L1 rechallenge in a patient with NSCLC. CASE DESCRIPTION: This case report described a patient with recurrent large cell lung cancer undergoing hyperprogressive disease with pleural and pericardial dissemination shortly after the pembrolizumab rechallenge, although he had a favorable response to the initial pembrolizumab treatment...

This is a case of a 45-year-old Caucasian female with coxsackievirus-induced myocarditis. Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscles, which can be difficult to diagnose at times because its symptoms overlap with other cardiovascular diseases. At times, when the patient presents, the full impact of the etiology would have either improved or resolved. In this case, the patient presented with symptoms closely resembling that of acute coronary syndrome but did not fit the typical age category. After lab and imaging workup, the coxsackievirus panel was positive, complicated with a new diagnosis of systolic heart failure with an ejection fraction of 30%-35% along with pericardial effusion...

BACKGROUND: Tele-cardiology tools are valuable strategies to improve risk stratification. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the accuracy of tele-electrocardiography (ECG) to predict abnormalities in screening echocardiography (echo) in primary care (PC). METHODS: In 17 months, 6 health providers at 16 PC units were trained on simplified handheld echo protocols. Tele-ECGs were recorded for final diagnosis by a cardiologist. Consented patients with major ECG abnormalities by the Minnesota code, and a 1:5 sample of normal individuals underwent clinical questionnaire and screening echo interpreted remotely...

INTRODUCTION: The optimal approach for pediatric ostium secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) closure remains uncertain. This study aims to assess complications and efficacies of surgical and transcatheter closures. METHODS: Systematic search in Medline, Cochrane, and EMBASE databases identified cohort studies until July 2023. Complications, length of hospital stay, and efficacy outcomes were evaluated. Subgroup analyses considered ethnicity, ASD size, age, and rim deficiency involvement...

INTRODUCTION: Intra-arrest transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) have been introduced in adult patients with cardiac arrest (CA). Whether the diagnostic performance of TTE or TEE is superior during resuscitation is unclear. We conducted a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines. METHODS: We searched databases from PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar and evaluated articles with intra-arrest TTE and TEE in adult patients with non-traumatic CA...

BACKGROUND: Lung damage in systemic juvenile arthritis (sJIA) is one of the contemporary topics in pediatric rheumatology. Several previous studies showed the severe course and fatal outcomes in some patients. The information about interstitial lung disease (ILD) in the sJIA is scarce and limited to a total of 100 cases. AIM: To describe the features of sJIA patients with ILD in detail. METHODS: In the present retrospective cohort study, information about 5 patients less than 18-years-old with sJIA and ILD were included...

BACKGROUND: Fungal endocarditis is a rare but serious condition associated with high mortality rates. Various predisposing factors contribute to its occurrence, such as underlying cardiac abnormalities, cardiac surgeries, prosthetic cardiac devices, and central venous catheters. Diagnosing fungal endocarditis, particularly Aspergillus, poses challenges, often complicated by negative blood cultures. CASE PRESENTATION: This report details a case of extensive ascending aorta involvement in Aspergillus endocarditis (AE) in a 24-year-old man with a history of bioprosthesis aortic valve replacement (AVR)...

Primary cardiac angiosarcoma is a rare malignant soft-tissue sarcoma derived from vascular endothelial cells or lymphatic endothelial cells, with a high malignancy, poor prognosis, and a lack of effective medical therapy. This article reports on two patients with primary cardiac angiosarcoma who received first-line treatment with multi-targeted anti-angiogenic agent, anlotinib monotherapy. The treatment rapidly controlled pleural and pericardial effusion, significantly reduced the tumor, improved symptoms, and showed satisfactory recent efficacy...

BACKGROUND: Transcatheter closure of the patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in premature infants is currently dependent on fluoroscopic guidance and transportation to the catheterization laboratory. AIM: We describe a new echocardiographically guided technique to allow our team to move to the bedside at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the referring center for percutaneous treatment of PDA in premature infants. METHODS: This is a single-center, retrospective, primarily descriptive analysis...

OBJECTIVE: Severe scoliosis can affect thoracic organs, potentially leading to cardiovascular abnormalities. Thus, echocardiograms have been suggested for use in preoperative screening in patients with significant scoliosis. However, the utility of preoperative heart screenings in patients without known or suspected heart problems is not well understood. This study aims to find the incidence of cardiac findings in patients with severe scoliosis ≥90° without cardiac history...

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) and pericardial effusion are notable complications following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), contributing to increased morbidity and healthcare costs. Posterior pericardiotomy has been proposed to mitigate these complications. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to evaluate the efficacy of posterior pericardiotomy in reducing postoperative AF and pericardial effusion in isolated CABG patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comprehensive literature search, adhering to PRISMA guidelines, was conducted across PubMed, MEDLINE via Ovid, Embase, Scopus, the Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and ClinicalTrials...

BACKGROUND: Programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitors can induce various adverse reactions associated with immunity, of which cardiotoxicity is a serious complication. Limited research exists on the link between PD-1 inhibitor use and pericardial effusion (PE) occurrence and outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from 2017 to 2019, comparing cancer patients who developed PE within 2 years after PD-1 inhibitor therapy to those who did not...

To identify risk factors associated with post-pericardiotomy syndrome (PPS) in patients undergoing surgical repair of atrial septal defects (ASD). A single-center retrospective study. Tertiary academic hospital. Included were patients of all ages who underwent surgical ASD repair, while exclusion criteria included the absence of post-operative electrocardiogram (ECG), lack of follow-up post-discharge and factors hindering ECG interpretation. Demographic and clinical data, including ECG changes indicative of pericardial inflammation, were collected...

INTRODUCTION: Fenestrated and branched thoracic endovascular repair (f/bTEVAR) have been successfully applied in patients with diverse aortic arch pathologies. The aim of this study is to present the early and mid-term outcomes of patients with native proximal aortic landing (NPAL) managed with f/bTEVAR. METHODS: A single-center retrospective analysis of patients with NPAL, managed with f/bTEVAR, between September 1st , 2011, and June 30th , 2022, was conducted...