Pericardiotomy is the first essential step for the exposure of the coronary artery in off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) via a median sternotomy. After the dissection of the pericardium from the pleura, a longitudinal pericardiotomy from the apex to the aortic reflection was employed. The pericardiotomy was extended transversely to make a trapezoidal flap. By the traction of the left peric...

BACKGROUND Recurrent symptomatic pericardial effusion can complicate different cardiac and extracardiac diseases. When recurrent pericardial effusion after drainage with conventional catheter techniques occurred the creation of a pericardial window by open surgery used to be the unique treatment available until the recent development of percutaneous balloon pericardiotomy. OBJECTIVE The aim o...

BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation (AF) is common after cardiac surgery. Abnormal conduction is an important substrate for AF. We hypothesized that atrial inflammation alters atrial conduction properties. METHODS AND RESULTS Normal mongrel canines (n=24) were divided into 4 groups consisting of anesthesia alone (control group); pericardiotomy (pericardiotomy group); lateral right atriotomy (atrio...

Two patients with recurrent symptomatic pericardial effusions secondary to malignant disease were successfully treated by percutaneous balloon pericardiotomy. Open surgery was avoided and the procedure was completed under local anaesthesia in less than 40 minutes. The first patient was free of recurrence at nine months but pericardial effusion recurred at two months in the second patient. Percu...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Malignant pericardial effusion has a high recurrence rate after pericardiocentesis. We sought to confirm the efficacy of percutaneous balloon pericardiotomy as the initial treatment of choice for these effusions. METHODS Retrospective analysis of the clinical, echocardiographic, and follow-up characteristics of a consecutive series of percutaneous balloon pericardi...