December 10, 2014Cardiology
Percutaneous Pericardiocentesis: Safety First!
Key result
In a large registry of 8,101 patients, pericardiocentesis had a low overall complication rate of 1.42%, though mortality at 2 years was 68.5% primarily driven by underlying malignancies.
Population
Patients requiring percutaneous pericardiocentesis for cardiac tamponade or large pericardial effusions
Design
Editorial
Authors
Discussion
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Implication
Echo- and fluoroscopy-guided pericardiocentesis is a safe and essential procedure, though complication risks are elevated when performed following catheter-based cardiac interventions.
Structured PICO
P
Population
8,101 patients undergoing 8,565 pericardiocenteses, followed for a mean of approximately 2 years to identify risk factors for complications and mortality.
E
Exposure
Percutaneous pericardiocentesis (ultrasound- or fluoroscopy-guided)
Echo- and fluoroscopy-guided pericardiocentesis is a safe and essential procedure, though complication risks are elevated when performed following catheter-based cardiac interventions.
Limitations
- The high mortality rate observed is mainly driven by malignancies and may not apply to populations where infectious causes are the prevailing underlying pathologies.
Cite This Study
Lazaros et al. (2014) conducted an editorial in Pericardial effusion requiring pericardiocentesis (n=8,101). Pericardiocentesis was evaluated on Complications, mortality, and the need for reintervention. In a large registry of 8,101 patients, pericardiocentesis had a low overall complication rate of 1.42%, though mortality at 2 years was 68.5% primarily driven by underlying malignancies.