Should the pericardium be closed after an open-heart operation?

A controlled clinical study was carried out to decide whether the pericardium should be left open or closed after open-heart operations. One hundred patients had the pericardium closed with interrupted silk, another 100 had the pericardium left open. Complications were alike except for the more frequent occurrence of a pericardial rub in the closed group (14 vs 3 patients), though the incidence of post-pericardiotomy syndrome was equal. There was no late tamponade. Two early reexplorations for bleeding were done in the open group, none in the closed. There were no postoperative deaths. In the patients who consented to postoperative angiography following revascularization procedures, the incidence of graft failure was equal in both groups. The pericardium should be closed after an open-heart operation. Morbidity and mortality are unchanged, and repeat cardiac exploration is safer.