Use of a thin retrocardial drain to prevent pericardial effusion.

A thin (3.125 mm) drain was placed retrocardially in 21 patients undergoing cardiac surgical procedures and its efficacy in the prevention of the formation of pericardial effusions was determined with two-dimensional echocardiography. Some 29 patients without such a drain acted as controls. No effusions developed in patients with a retrocardial drain. Nine of 29 (31%) patients without a retrocardial drain had an effusion of 7-18 mm. The effusions were most commonly found behind the left ventricle. Using Fisher's exact test as a contingency table, the results were significant (P = 0.05). Insertion of a thin retrocardial drain may prevent the incidence of pericardial effusions in the early postoperative period and is not associated with local complications.