Clinical significance of low voltage in asymptomatic patients with pericardial effusion free of heart disease

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of low voltage with PR-segment and ST-T wave changes in determining the amount of clinically silent pericardial effusion detected in a routine echocardiography. DESIGN: Consecutive case series analysis. SETTING: Noninvasive cardiology department of a university hospital. PATIENTS: Among 8,041 consecutive patients referred to our echocardiography laboratory, 121 asymptomatic patients with pericardial effusion free of heart disease were studied. INTERVENTIONS: Echocardiography and ECG. Measurements and results: The amount (small or moderate/large) of pericardial effusion was correlated with ECG. Among 121 patients with pericardial effusion, low voltage was detected in 32 patients (26%), while widespread PR-segment depression was observed in 32 patients (26%) and widespread ST-segment elevation in 8 patients (7%). Although there was a significantly higher incidence of low voltage in patients with moderate/large pericardial effusion compared to that of small pericardial effusion, 13 of 32 patients (41%) with low voltage had a small pericardial effusion. In patients with a small pericardial effusion, 7 of 13 patients (54%) with low voltage had PR-segment depression, while 15 of 85 patients (18%) without low voltage had PR-segment depression; the difference was significant (p = 0.011). In patients with moderate/large pericardial effusions, there was no significant difference in the incidence of PR-segment depression between patients with and without low voltage (47% vs 25%, respectively; p = 0.791). CONCLUSIONS: In the presence of PR-segment depression, even a small pericardial effusion may cause low voltage in the surface ECG.     

Echocardiographic detection of asymptomatic pericardial effusion during normal pregnancy

A series of 123 healthy pregnant women (average age: 28 years) was studied by M mode and 2D echocardiography to evaluate the hemodynamic changes due to pregnancy. Latent and asymptomatic pericardial effusion was detected in 19 of the 46 patients in the last stages of pregnancy (32nd to 38th week). The effusion was slight in 13 cases, moderate in 4 cases and voluminous in 2 cases. This was a transient finding, occurring at the end of pregnancy (never before the 32nd week) and regressing totally in the two months post partum. The pregnancy ran its natural course in all 19 patients. None had any specific past medical history or clinical signs of toxemia. Cardiovascular examination was normal in all cases with no signs of pericardial friction rub or of heart failure. However, the blood pressure was raised in 3 of the 19 patients. The ECG was normal in 16 of the 19 cases; non-specific ST-T wave changes were observed in 3 cases. Pericardial effusion was probably related to salt and water retention which often occurs at the end of pregnancy: at this stage the average weight gain was significantly higher (p less than 0,03) in the 19 patients with pericardial effusion than in the 27 patients without (13,6 +/- 4,3 kg compared to 10,9 +/- 3,7 kg). Therefore, pericardial effusion of variable volume but always asymptomatic and latent was observed in 40,1 p. 100 of patients at the end of pregnancy on echocardiographic examination. This previously undocumented finding requires further study to determine the underlying physiopathological mechanism and its exact significance.     

多因素心包积液患者的临床特点分析

目的探讨心包积液住院患者的临床特点。方法选择合并心包积液的463例住院患者,男211例,女252例,分为青少年组92例(5~39岁)、中年龄组138例(40~59岁)和老年组233例(60~92岁)。收集临床资料,并回顾性分析。结果所有患者居前3位的病因为肿瘤(22.7%)、免疫系统疾病(15.8%)和不明原因(14.7%)。女性免疫系统疾病、甲状腺功能减退比例高于男性,慢性肾病和结核比例低于男性(P0.05,P0.01)。青年少组、中年组和老年组免疫系统疾病、不明原因和血液病比例有显著差异(33.7%vs 18.8%vs 6.9%、9.8%vs 8.0%vs20.6%、18.5%vs 13.8%vs 3.0%,P0.01)。多病因构成主要为心力衰竭、感染、低蛋白血症和肾功能不全,感染为最常见(61.6%)的合并因素。结论多数心包积液患者合并≥1种诱发或加重心包积液发生的病因。     

Clinical predictors and outcomes of patients with pericardial effusion in chronic kidney disease

Background

Pericardial effusion is common in hospitalized patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We sought to identify predictors and prognostic impact of pericardial effusion in CKD patients.

Hypothesis

Clinical and biochemical parameters can predict pericardial effusion in CKD patients.

Methods

In a retrospective nested case‐control design, we analyzed hospitalized adult patients with CKD stage 4, 5, or end‐stage renal disease diagnosed with pericardial effusion. Controls were same‐stage CKD patients without effusion.

Results

Among 84 cases and 61 controls, 44% and 34% were on dialysis, respectively. The mean creatinine was higher among cases versus controls (8.4±6.0 vs. 6.0±3.4 mg/dL, P = 0.002). Effusion was moderate to large in 46% of cases. Independent predictors of any pericardial effusion were serum potassium (OR: 1.95 per 1‐mEq/L increment, 95% CI: 1.21–3.13, P = 0.006), serum corrected calcium (OR: 1.33 per 1‐mg/dL decrement, 95% CI: 1.11–1.67, P = 0.015), and admission heart rate (OR: 1.29 per 10‐bpm increment, 95% CI: 1.03–1.62, P = 0.027). Corrected calcium level was an independent predictor of moderate to large pericardial effusion (OR: 1.38 per 1‐mg/dL decrement, 95% CI: 1.04–1.82, P = 0.023). Corrected calcium <8.0 mg/dL demonstrated 95% specificity for moderate to large effusion. Patients with effusion had no significant difference in the composite endpoint of mortality or cardiovascular rehospitalization (P = 0.408).

Conclusions

In hospitalized CKD patients, hypocalcemia may be useful in identifying those with moderate to large pericardial effusion. In this population, pericardial effusion does not seem to be associated with adverse outcomes.     

心包腔容积—压力关系的临床研究

１６ 例中到大量心包积液患者在Ｘ线下使用Ｓｅｌｄｉｎｇｅｒ法,经剑突下穿刺心包放置７Ｆ导鞘,心包造影,定量抽液及压力测定。资料完整的１５ 例患者显示:心包腔内压力与心包积液量无相关性。有心包填塞症状者,当抽液量达到１５０ ｍ ｌ时,心包内压力下降曲线最为陡峭:幅度最大,而以后随积液量减少,压力下降徐缓。当抽液到２５０ ｍ ｌ时心包腔舒张压在０．４０ ｋＰａ～－ １．４６ ｋＰａ 之间,大多数低于文献报道的右房舒张压。在积液基本抽完时,１２ 例心包腔平均压在０～－ １．３３ ｋＰａ之间,最低可达－ ２．０ ｋＰａ,与胸膜腔压近似。１ 例有肺气肿的老年患者和２ 例有胸腔积液者压力在０．１３ ｋＰａ～０．５３ ｋＰａ之间     

102例心包积液患者临床病因分析

目的回顾性总结分析心包积液患者的病因分布特点及临床类型,探究其变化规律,提高病因诊断。方法对我院2001年01月至2008年12月因心包积液住院的102名患者的临床资料进行分析。结果心包积液常见病因依次为肿瘤（25．5％）,结核（22．6％）,心力衰竭（19．4％）,非特异性（13．8％）,尿毒症（9．9％）和结缔组织疾病（6．3％）,其他原因引起者占（2．5％）。结论引起心包积液的首要病因为肿瘤,其次为结核;随着诊疗水平的提高,心包积液的病因分布更趋广泛。原因不明的心包积液在排除恶性肿瘤、甲状腺功能减退等常见病因的前提下,试验性抗结核治疗有助于明确诊断。     

Mechanism of electrical alternans in patients with pericardial effusion

Electrical alternans concomitant with pericardial effusion has been considered a pathognomonic sign suggestive of a large effusion with cardiac tamponade, particularly if there is P wave alternans as well as QRS alternans. However, the mechanism of this phenomonon remains controversial. A patient with pericardial effusion secondary to adenocarcinoma of the lung with metastases, pericardial effusion, electrical alternans, and cardiac tamponade was studied by echocardiography, right and left heart catheterization, and pericardiocentesis. Hemodynamic data were consistent with cadiac tamponade. The echocardiogram demonstrated a large anterior and posterior pericardial effusion. Noncongruous motion of the septum and posterior wall was pericardial effusion. Noncongruous motion of the septum and posterior wall was recorded at a rate equal to the heart rate. In addition, congruous motion of the septum and posterior wall was recorded at a rate that was half the heart rate and corresponded to the electrical alternans. The congruous movement disappeared after pericardiocentesis, as did the electrical alternans. The electrical alternans is synchronous with and due to the pendulous movement of the heart within the pericardial sac, as demonstrated by echocardiogram and cineangiograms.     

Postsplenectomy pericardial effusion in two patients with myeloid metaplasia

Self-limited sympathetic pleural effusion is a well-known nonspecific sequela following any upper abdominal surgery, including splenectomy. However, to our knowledge, there is no report in the literature on sympathetic pericardial effusion immediately following splenectomy. We describe two patients with agnogenic myeloid metaplasia and refractory hemolytic anemia in whom pericardial effusion appeared a few days after splenectomy. The possible pathophysiologic mechanism is discussed.     

心包积液对慢性心力衰竭预后的影响

目的:探讨心包积液对慢性心力衰竭的预后的影响。方法:以683例心力衰竭的患者作为研究对象,采用超声心动图对心包积液进行半定量分析。对其中118例心包积液患者和472例无心包积液患者进行随访,使用单因素和多因素统计学方法,分析心包积液对心力衰竭的预后的影响。结果:随访病例中,40例失访,226例死亡。肾小球滤过率[OR=1.013,95%CI(1.005,1.026),P=0.02],收缩压[OR=1.02,95%CI(1.00,1.03),P=0.015],左室射血分数[OR=1.08,95%CI(1.04,1.12),P0.001]和糖尿病[OR=2.53,95%CI(0.99,6.44),P0.001],为心力衰竭预后的独立危险因素。慢性心力衰竭生存率随左室射血分数的改善而增加,与是否存在心包积液无关。结论:心包积液存在不增加慢性心力衰竭的病死率。     

Percutaneous balloon pericardial window for patients with malignant pericardial effusion and tamponade

We performed percutaneous balloon pericardial window (PBPW) in 8 patients (age 40 to 70 yrs; 4 men, 4 women) with malignant pericardial effusion and tamponade. Pericardial window was indicated because they continued to drain >100 ml/day of pericardial fluid through the pigtail catheter for >/3 days. A 0.038 inch guidewire was advanced through the pigtail catheter into the pericardial space and then the catheter was removed. A 20 mm diameter, 3 cm long balloon dilating catheter was advanced to straddle the parietal pericardium. Manual inflations were performed until the waist produced by the pericardium disappeared. All patients tolerated the procedure well with minimal discomfort and with no complications. A left or bilateral pleural effusion occurred in all patients after PBPW. No patient developed recurrent pericardial tamponade at a mean follow-up of 6 ± 2 months. Thus, PBPW is a useful and safe technique to avoid surgery in patients with malignant pericardial effusion and tamponade.     

Percutaneous balloon pericardiotomy in patients with recurrent pericardial effusion]

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 of this paper is to review our initial experience with percutaneous balloon pericardiotomy for the treatment of patients with recurrent pericardial effusion. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Five patients with recurrent pericardial effusion have been treated with percutaneous pericardiotomy until now. Four patients had malignant pericardial effusion secondary to metastasis of extracardiac tumors, in one patient recurrent pericardial effusion was idiopathic. In all patients percutaneous balloon pericardiotomy was performed with a pediatric valvuloplasty balloon catheter, through a subxiphoid approach. RESULTS: Successful drainage and balloon pericardiotomy was achieved in all patients without severe complications. In all cases only one pericardial site was dilated. Minor complications were registered, which included mainly mild pleural effusion occurring in all patients with spontaneous resolution. During a mean follow-up period of 8.6 6.5 months (range 2 to 18 months) there were no recurrences of effusion or tamponade. Two patients died, 1 month and 9 months after the procedure, due to their malignant condition. CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous balloon pericardiotomy is an easy and useful technique to manage patients with large recurrent pericardial effusion with a low r     

心包积液100例临床分析

目的探讨心包积液病因之间所占比重变化。方法从症状、体征、实验室检查、心脏超声、心包穿刺抽液及手术病理活检等来确立其病因，其后分析各类病因所占比重。结果100例心包积液病因前四位是心衰、心包切开综合征、肿瘤与结核。结论心衰是引起心包积液最常见原因。     

The anteroposterior pericardial sac diameter measured by echocardiography correlates with the volume of pericardial effusion and with effort dyspnea.

AIMS: To examine the value of the anteroposterior pericardial sac diameter (APD) for prediction of the volume of pericardial effusion. METHODS AND RESULTS: We measured the APD by echocardiography before 52 pericardiocentesis procedures and correlated it with the aspirate volume, etiology, symptoms, and clinical outcome. The volume of the aspirate ranged from 60 to 2300 ml (median 650 ml). The APD (range 8.0 cm-15.9 cm, median 12 cm) correlated well with the cubic root of the volume of the effusion [volume=(0.8APD-0.6)3, r2=0.533, p<0.01]. An APD>or=12 cm had a positive predictive value of 88% and a negative predictive value of 83% for effusion volume above the sample median (>or=650 ml) and a positive predictive value of 100% for effusion in the middle or upper aspirate volume tertiles. Effort dyspnea was more common among patients with APD>or=12.0 cm (n=13) than in those with APD<12.0 cm (n=11) (p=0.007). One-year survival after pericardiocentesis was closely related to the severity of the underlying etiology and was not influenced by the volume of the effusion before aspiration. CONCLUSIONS: The APD is a simple, valuable method for non-invasive prediction of pericardial fluid volume. A greater APD is associated with, and may explain, effort dyspnea.     

Prognostic value of echocardiography in hospitalized patients with pericardial effusion.

It is often difficult to predict outcome in hospitalized patients with pericardial effusion. To address this issue, the prognostic value of echocardiography was studied in 187 hospitalized patients diagnosed with pericardial effusions over a 1-year period. The index echocardiogram showed that 11 effusions were large (6%), 39 were moderate (21%), and 137 were small (73%). Right ventricular collapse was present in 7% of cases (13 of 178), right atrial collapse in 12% (21 of 168), and inferior vena cava (IVC) plethora with blunted response to respiration in 35% (46 of 132). During the course of hospitalization, 9 patients (5%) had cardiac tamponade and 16 (9%) had cardiac tamponade, pericardiocentesis and/or surgical drainage (combined end point). By univariate analysis, each echocardiographic sign was associated with both cardiac tamponade and the combined end point (p less than or equal to 0.01 for comparisons with size and right-sided chamber collapse; p less than or equal to 0.07 for comparisons with IVC plethora). When the data were analyzed with logistic regression modeling, effusion size was the most powerful predictor of outcome (cardiac tamponade: odds ratio 51, 95% confidence interval 3.5-729, p = 0.004; combined end point: odds ratio 78, 95% confidence interval 14-421, p = 0.0001), and neither right-sided chamber collapse nor IVC plethora with blunted response to respiration retained significant associations. It is concluded that echocardiographically determined effusion size is a powerful predictor of outcome in hospitalized patients with pericardial effusion, and that right-sided chamber collapse and IVC plethora with blunted response to respiration add little if any additional prognostic information.     

主动脉夹层并发心包积液100例临床分析

目的:探讨主动脉夹层(AD)并发心包积液的临床特征及治疗策略。方法:回顾性分析我院诊治的100例AD并发心包积液患者的临床资料。结果:对胸痛伴发或首发晕厥或黑矇、呼吸困难、心悸、脉压减小、主动脉瓣区杂音、胸腔积液者应考虑并发心包积液可能性。对于A型AD合并心包积液患者,好转率明显低于不合并心包积液患者(29.6%vs59.1%,P<0.05)。对于AD合并心包积液患者,药物保守治疗的好转率明显低于外科手术或支架介入治疗好转率(32.4%vs57.6%,P<0.05;32.4%vs100%,P<0.05),其病死率明显高于外科手术治疗(32.4%vs3.9%,P<0.05)。结论:对AD合并心包积液患者,不论是否出现心包压塞症状,及时早期确诊、采取积极的介入或手术治疗是降低病死率、改善预后的关键。