Late cardiac tamponade following open-heart surgery: detection by echocardiography.

Late cardiac tamponade following open-heart operation is a potentially lethal complication that is often difficult to diagnose. A case of cardiac tamponade occurring two weeks after left ventricular aneurysmectomy and coronary bypass surgery is reported. Despite opening of the anterior pericardium during operation, echocardiography revealed characteristic findings, which permitted prompt recognition of this disorder.