Why the study?
Does pericardial closure after cardiac surgery improve clinical outcomes compared to avoiding closure?
Does pericardial closure after cardiac surgery improve clinical outcomes compared to avoiding closure?
There is currently insufficient scientific evidence to establish a consensus on whether pericardial closure or leaving it open is the best practice following cardiac surgery.
Insufficient evidence precludes recommending pericardial closure or avoidance after cardiac surgery; leaves open the need for randomized trials.
Some cardiac surgeons prefer to close the pericardium whenever possible following surgery, others specifically avoid this practice, and still others believe that neither alternative has any meaningful influence on clinical outcomes. Unfortunately, scientific evidence supporting either approach is scarce, making a consensus regarding best practice impossible. In this article, the known functions of the native intact pericardium are summarized, and the arguments for and against pericardial closure after surgery are examined. In addition, the techniques and materials that have been utilized for pericardial closure previously, as well as those that are currently being developed, are assessed.
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Boyd et al. (2012) studied this question.
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