pericardial

OBJECTIVE: Blunt cardiac rupture is a life-threatening injury that requires surgical repair by cardiovascular or trauma surgeons. We report a case of blunt cardiac rupture in a rural area in which emergency physicians performed emergency department thoracotomy and surgical repair to save the patient's life. PATIENT AND METHODS: This case involved an 18-year-old female who was injured in a traffic accident and underwent emergency thoracotomy and surgical repair. RESULTS: The patient's left thorax was deformed, and sonographic assessment revealed pericardial effusion...

Because of its enhanced antitumor efficacy, lapatinib (LAP) is commonly used clinically in combination with the anthracycline drug doxorubicin (DOX) to treat metastatic breast cancer. While it is well recognized that this combination chemotherapy can lead to an increased risk of cardiotoxicity in adult women, its potential cardiotoxicity in the fetus during pregnancy remains understudied. Here, we aimed to examine the combination of LAP chemotherapy and DOX-induced cardiotoxicity in the fetus using a zebrafish embryonic system and investigate the underlying pathologic mechanisms...

BACKGROUND Scleroderma is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by angiopathy, autoimmunity, and fibrosis. One form of scleroderma, systemic sclerosis, is characterized by diffuse skin lesions and visceral involvement. Eosinophilic pleural effusion is a rare complication attributed to a large array of diseases. We present a case of a man with underlying systemic sclerosis who developed eosinophilic pleural effusion as a complication of associated Trichinella spiralis infection. CASE REPORT A 49-year-old man presented for bilateral inflammatory radio-ulnar-carpal joint pain, paresthesia of the hands and forearms and a 2-week history of right posterior aching thoracic pain and night sweats...

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The present research aimed to document the incidence, clinical signs, haematological, and serum biochemical alterations, as well as electrocardiography and echocardiography findings in 62 buffaloes (selected from a total of 240) infected with Trypanosoma evansi. The study spanned one year, from January 2022 to December 2022. Morphological identification of Trypanosoma evansi was done by the presence of a centrally positioned nucleus with a small sub-terminal kinetoplast at the posterior position through microscopic examination of Giemsa stained peripheral blood smears...

A 55-year-old male with acute pericarditis presented with low-pressure cardiac tamponade (LPCT) unresponsive to volume infusion. Subsequent pericardiocentesis resulted in hemodynamic improvement and unmasking of pericardial constriction. This case provides illustrative hemodynamic tracings of LPCT. Additionally, the presence of concurrent pericardial constriction that may indicate a plausible underlying mechanism for the blunted responsiveness to fluid expansion in LPCT. The underlying physiologic processes and the associated hemodynamic tracings are discussed...

BACKGROUND: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is becoming increasingly crucial in the Pediatric Emergency Department for objective patient examination. However, despite its growing interest and wide-ranging applications, POCUS remains relatively unexplored in general pediatric training and education. Many physicians still find it challenging to comprehend and implement. METHODS: A theoretical-practical POCUS course for pediatric residents was conducted at the University of Catania, Italy...

Congenital pericardial absence is an uncommon heart condition that is usually undiagnosed due to a lack of symptoms and awareness. In this case study, we present a 72-year-old patient who initially presented for medical evaluation due to unexplained weight loss, a displaced cardiac apex, and poor echocardiographic windows. An extracardiac tumor was suspected at first, but it was later determined that the patient had a congenital complete absence of the left pericardium. This case illustrates the possibility for benign pathology to present abnormally and details the clinical features, imaging findings, and management of congenital absence of the pericardium...

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-induced pericarditis and pericardial myocarditis are common entities; however, the development of pericardial effusion post-COVID-19 infection has only been reported in about 5% of cases. Rapid and acute progression to pericardial tamponade is uncommon, and progression to effusive constrictive pericarditis (ECP) and pericardial decompression syndrome (PDS) is an even rarer phenomenon. We describe these phenomena in this report to raise awareness and aid clinicians in the early diagnosis and management of these conditions...

Although anticoagulation stands as a standardized therapeutic approach for mitigating thrombotic risks in atrial fibrillation, the potential for bleeding associated with direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) is consistently weighed in the risk/benefit analysis prior to initiating therapy for non-valvular atrial fibrillation. While the typical bleeding risks from DOACs predominantly affect the gastrointestinal system, occurrences of spontaneous hemorrhagic pericardial effusions are rare. This case presentation illustrates a patient developing spontaneous hemorrhagic pericardial effusion four days after commencing apixaban therapy and subsequent management...

Left ventricular aneurysms (LVAs) represent a rare yet critical complication arising from late-presenting myocardial infarction (MI). Here, we present the case of an 88-year-old male with chest pressure, elevated troponin, B-type natriuretic peptide, and lactate. The electrocardiogram showed sinus tachycardia and an old right bundle branch block. The patient was started on heparin infusion, but progressively worsening hypotension necessitated transfer to the intensive care unit and the initiation of vasopressors...

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a remitting-relapsing systemic autoantibody and immune complex disease with a similar clinical presentation to that of malignancy and infection. The authors report a case of newly diagnosed SLE and lupus nephritis in a 48-year-old woman with constitutional symptoms and unintentional weight loss. Her presentation was further complicated by pericardial effusion and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) facial cellulitis and bacteremia. In the context of nonspecific symptoms and a wide initial differential diagnosis, the early consideration of rheumatologic etiologies and the involvement of consultant services led to appropriate diagnostic testing and a timely diagnosis...

Minimally invasive procedures are being increasingly proposed for trauma. Injuries to the chest wall and/or lung have historically been managed by drainage with a large bore thoracostomy tube, while cardiac injuries have mandated sternotomy. These treatments are associated with significant patient discomfort. Percutaneous placement of small 'pigtail' catheters was initially designed for drainage of simple pericardial fluid. Their use subsequently expanded to drainage of the pleural cavity. The role of pigtail catheters for primary treatment of traumatic pneumothorax and hemopneumothorax has increased, while their use for pericardial fluid after trauma remains controversial...

We report three patients with screw-in lead perforation in the right atrial free wall not long after device implantation. All the patients complained of intermittent stabbing chest pain associated with deep breathing during the implantation. The "dry" epicardial puncture was utilized to avoid hemopericardium during lead extraction in the first case. The atrial electrode was repositioned in all cases and replaced by a new passive fixation lead in two patients with resolution of the pneumothorax or pericardial effusion...

Objective: To investigate the short-term efficacy and safety of cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) in patients with heart failure. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of patients with heart failure who underwent CCM placement at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from February to June 2022. With a follow-up of 3 months, CCM sensation, impedance, percent output, and work time were monitored, and patients were compared with pre-and 3-month postoperative left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) values, and 6-minute walk test distance and New York Heart Association (NYHA) cardiac function classification, and the occurrence of complications was recorded...

The patient is a 76-year-old man. His chief complaint of chest pain led to a diagnosis of pericardial effusion of unknown cause, and pericardial drainage was performed. On the 30th day, chest pain appeared again. Echocardiography revealed a pericardial fluid reaccumulation and a substantial mass in the pericardial space. Surgical drainage was performed to find the cause. A hematoma/mass was present on the epicardium. The pericardial sac was filled with hematoma. The hematoma was removed, but part of the mass infiltrated close to the anterior descending branch of the left coronary artery, and removal of that part was abandoned...

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is now commonly used in emergency surgery to confirm the site of injury and observe the thoracic cavity, especially in cases of chest trauma with stable vital signs. VATS was used in all 33 chest trauma surgeries performed at our department from October 2009 to July 2023. The common injury mechanisms were traffic trauma and falls, but there were also cases of trauma from a bullhorn, heavy machinery and farm equipment, and penetrating injury. The common surgical procedures were treatment of rib fractures and pulmonary suture or partial lung resection, followed by treatment of diaphragmatic injuries...

This case report highlights the successful application of a robotic-assisted surgical approach in managing Nutcracker syndrome. The patient, a 36-year-old female presented with severe symptoms and underwent robotic left renal vein transposition after failing conservative management. The procedure was performed through a minimally invasive approach utilizing the Da Vinci robotic system™ which offers enhanced visualization and precision. However, challenges arose during the renal vein anastomosis due to tension and poor flow through the transposition, requiring two revisions with a bovine pericardial patch...

Chronic constrictive pericarditis is a rare condition characterized by clinical signs of right heart failure, due to the symphysis of the two pericardial leaflets. Our study focused on a retrospective analysis of 43 CCP surgery observations collected over an 11-year period (2003-2013). The mean age of the patients was 32 years; 65% were male; exercise dyspnea (95%) was the most frequent sign. Two main etiologies were observed: tuberculosis 58% and idiopathic causes 42%. All of our patients received a subtotal pericardectomy per median sternotomy, of which 95% had no cardiopulmonary bypass...

The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of postmortem contrast-enhanced CT (PMeCT) performed via direct large-vessel puncture when routine postmortem CT suggests a vascular lesion as the cause of death. PMeCT was performed in 9 cases (4 male, 5 female) with a mean age of 76 years (range 52-92) at the time of death. The mean time elapsed since death was 29.1 h (12.0-72.0). The location of the target vessel for puncture was determined based on the CT table position and a grid placed on the body surface...