[Urgent pericardiectomy, 15 cases (author's transl)].

UNLABELLED

15 cases of pericarditis with tamponade operated as emergency cases in Cho Ray Hospital from November 1976 to January 1979 are dealt with. In these 15 cases, 11 were urgently treated with pericardiectomy, 3 cases with pericardiotomy and one case with repeated pericardial punctures. From these latters pericardiectomy had to be performed in one case later because of constrictive pericarditis and evolutive cardiac failure.

ETIOLOGY

Pericardial and metastatic tumour 5, suppurative pericarditis 7, Haemopericard after closed chest trauma 1, rheumatic fever 1, tuberculosis 1.

RESULTS

11 patients showed good results, 3 patients died of disseminated lesions of cancer, 1 patient with suppurative pericarditis died a few days after the operation of respiratory insufficiency. A conservative operation seems to be impossible for radically curing the disease and many post-operative complications may occur.