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This Article Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Author home page(s): Darroch W. O. Moores Keith B. Allen Stanley W. Dziuban William H. Warren Riivo Ilves Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Moores, D. W. O. Articles by Lininger, L. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Moores, D. W. O. Articles by Lininger, L.

J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1996;111:489
© 1996 Mosby, Inc.

Letters to the Editor

Subxiphoid drainage for pericardial tamponade

Department of Surgery
Division of Thoracic Surgery
Albany Medical Center
Albany, N.Y.^a

Reply to the Editor:

I suspect that the first patient reported on by Neelakandan and associates died of complications of overwhelming sepsis associated with the pyopericardium. I have no good explanation for the development of low cardiac output in second patient, although it may have been related to his chronic underlying disease and unrelated to the actual pericardial drainage. One patient in our series died within 48 hours after the operation. This was a patient with pneumonia, sepsis, and multiorgan failure who died of overwhelming sepsis 48 hours after pericardial drainage. We do not think the pericardial drainage contributed to the patient's death. Our experience does not corroborate the presumption of Neelakandan and coworkers that sudden pericardial decompression may cause low cardiac output. Our experience has been that patients with pericardial tamponade have marked, sudden improvement in their hemodynamic status after drainage of the pericardial effusion.

This Article Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Author home page(s): Darroch W. O. Moores Keith B. Allen Stanley W. Dziuban William H. Warren Riivo Ilves Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Moores, D. W. O. Articles by Lininger, L. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Moores, D. W. O. Articles by Lininger, L.