Anticoagulant therapy can induce spontaneous hemopericardium with tamponade even in the absence of myocardial necrosis or pericarditis.
NONTRAUMATIC hemopericardium with tamponade usually occurs as a preterminal event in cases of myocardial infarction or dissecting aortic aneurysm.1 Clinically significant hemopericardium is an uncommon but well documented complication of anticoagulant therapy2; it has been reported only in association with myocardial infarction3 , 4 or pericarditis, either traumatic5 or nonspecific.6 , 7 The purpose of this communication is to present 2 cases of spontaneous hemopericardium with tamponade, unassociated with myocardial necrosis or pericarditis, induced by anticoagulant therapy. One case, undiagnosed, terminated fatally; the other patient survived after pericardiectomy.Case ReportsCase 1. A 40-year-old man (M.H. 103787) was admitted to Montefiore Hospital for . . .
Fell et al. (Thu,) studied this question.