Tratamiento quirúrgico de la pericarditis purulenta: reporte de un caso / Surgical treatment of purulent pericarditis: report of a case

Resumen Introducción: La pericarditis es la enfermedad del pericardio más presente en la práctica médica. La pericarditis purulenta representa el 5% de ellas, con una mortalidad de hasta el 40%. Caso Clínico: Se presenta un paciente masculino, de 27 años de edad, con antecedentes de hipotiroidismo que ingresa con tos y expectoración amarillenta, asociado a fiebre, que resolvió con tratamiento antibiótico. Un mes después, reingresa con dolor abdominal, astenia y disnea intensa que no tolera el decúbito. Se indica ecocardiograma, que diagnostica derrame pericárdico severo, con colapso de cavidades derechas. Se procedió a pericardiocentesis de emergencia, donde se extrajeron 450 mililitros de líquido purulento. En el seguimiento ecocardiográfico a las 48 h, se observa aumento del derrame, por lo que se decide tratamiento quirúrgico, mediante toracotomía anterolateral izquierda, encontrando derrame purulento y engrosamiento pericárdico de 6 mm, con múltiples adherencias. Se indica pericardiectomía parcial. El paciente evolucionó favorablemente, egresándose 7 días posteriores a la cirugía.

Introduction: Pericarditis is frecuent pericardial disease in medical practice. The purulent pericarditis represents 5%, with a mortality of up to 40%. Case Report: We present a male patient, 27 years old, with a history of hypothyroidism that enters with cough and yellowish expectoration, associated with fever, resolved with antibiotic treatment. One month later, he reenters with abdominal pain, asthenia and intense dyspnea that does not tolerate decubitus. Echocardiogram diagnosed severe pericardial effusion, with collapse of right cavities. Emergency pericardiocentesis was performed and 450 milliliters of purulent fluid were extracted. In the echocardiographic follow-up at 48 hours, an increase in the effusion was observed, was decided surgical treatment by left anterolateral thoracotomy, finding purulent effusion and pericardial thickening of 6 mm, with multiple adhesions. Partial pericardiectomy is indicated. The patient evolved favorably, leaving 7 days after surgery.

Pericarditis purulenta constrictiva, una complicación grave que puede ser evitada / Constrictive purulent pericarditis, an avoidable serious complication

La pericarditis purulenta se define como la ocupación del saco pericárdico por fluido purulento. Es una enfermedad de curso letal si no se trata con prontitud; la mortalidad varía de 2 a 20 por ciento. La combinación de antibioticoterapia y drenaje pericárdico provee los mejores resultados clínicos, sin embargo, existe controversia en relación con el momento y la vía para realizarlo. Algunos enfermos desarrollan adherencias pericárdicas que producen constricción con repercusión hemodinámica por compromiso del llenado diastólico de las cavidades cardíacas derechas. Se presenta un paciente masculino, de 4 años de edad y 13 kg de peso corporal, con el diagnóstico de pericarditis purulenta de un mes de evolución, con signos de respuesta inflamatoria sistémica y compromiso hemodinámico por pericarditis constrictiva. Se intervino quirúrgicamente de urgencia para realizar pericardiectomía y drenaje del absceso mediastinal. Se comentan la prevención y la conducta ante esta grave complicación

Purulent pericarditis is defined as the occupation of the pericardial sac by the purulent effusion. It is a lethal disease if not treated as early as possible since the mortality rate ranges 2 to 20 percent. The combination of antibiotics and pericardial drainage provides the best clinical results; however, there are controversies about the time and the way of performing these actions. Some patients develop pericardial adhesions that may cause constriction with hemodynamic repercussion due to compromised dyastolic filling of the right heart cavities. Here is a male 4 years-old patient weighing 13 kg, who was diagnosed with purulent pericarditis of one month of evolution and presented signs of systemic inflammation and hemodynamic compromise due to constrictive pericarditis. He was operated on at the emergency service to perform pericardiectomy and mediastinal abscess drainage. The prevention of this problem and the behavior to be followed to manage this serious complication were commented on in this report

Revisión y experiencia en cinco casos de pericardiectomía extensa / Review and experience in five cases of extensive pericardiectomy

Objetivo: describir evolución de casos tratados por pericarditis constrictiva. Métodos: se presentan 5 casos tratados por orden cronológico por pericarditis constrictiva en los hospitales Amalia Simoni de Camagüey (4) y Martín Chang Puga de Nuevitas (1), en 5 años (2004-2008), cuya indicación quirúrgica principal fue la evidencia clínica de taponamiento cardiaco. Resultados: la edad promedio fue 49 años (rango 36-68), 4 pacientes del sexo masculino, en 4 el derrame fue serohemático y otro purulento. En un paciente apareció el corazón en coraza con calcificaciones. La etiología fue postraumática, infección aguda y metástasis pericárdica en un caso cada una. En 2 pacientes no se confirmó la tuberculosis pericárdica extrapulmonar, aunque pudo corresponderse. El acceso al tórax mayormente fue por toracotomía anterior izquierda, y el proceder fue la pericardiectomía extensa, previa punción pericárdica. De los 5 casos, 3 pacientes egresaron vivos y 2 fallecidos. Conclusiones: los pacientes con pericarditis constrictiva, derrame y signos de taponamiento cardiaco deben ser tratados con pericardiocentesis, y la pericardiectomía extensa, cuando esté indicada. Se considera una buena opción terapéutica(AU)

Objective: to describe the evolution of the cases treated by constrictive pericarditis. Methods: a retrospective study was performed in five cases treated by chronological order due to constrictive pericarditis in the hospitals Amalia Simoni of Camagüey province (4) and "Martin Chang Puga" of Nuevitas municipality (1) in 5 years (2004-2008) whose main surgical indication was the clinical evidence of cardiac tamponage. Results: mean age was of 49 years (range 36-68), four male patients in four of the leakage was serohematinic and another purulent type. In a patient there was a barrier heart with calcifications. Etiology was post-traumatic, acute infection and pericardial metastasis in a case each. In two patients extrapulmonary pericardial tuberculosis was not confirmed, although it could correspond. The thorax approach was mainly by left anterior thoracotomy and the procedure was an extensive pericardiectomy, previous pericardial puncture. From 5 cases, three patients were discharged alive and two dyed. Conclusions: patients presenting with constrictive pericarditis, leakage and signs of cardiac tamponage must to be treated with pericardiocentesis and the extensive pericardiectomy, when be prescribed. This is a good therapeutic option(AU)

Comparison of B-type natriuretic peptide and left ventricular dysfunction in patients with constrictive pericarditis undergoing pericardiectomy.

Chronic constrictive pericarditis (CCP) due to tuberculosis has high morbidity and mortality in the periopeartive period following pericardiectomy because of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. Brain-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is considered a marker for both LV systolic and diastolic dysfunction. We undertook this prospective study in 24 patients, to measure the BNP levels and to compare it with transmitral Doppler flow velocities, that is, the E/A ratio (E = initial peak velocity during early diastolic filling and A = late peak flow velocity during atrial systole), as a marker of diastolic function and systolic parameters, pre- and post-pericardiectomy, at the time of discharge. The latter parameters have been taken as a flow velocity across the mitral valve on a transthoracic echo. There was a significant decrease in the mean values of log BNP (6.19 ± 0.33 to 4.65 ± 0.14) (P = 0.001) and E/A ratio (1.81 ± 0.21 to 1.01 ± 0.14) (P = 0.001) post pericardiectomy, with a positive correlation, r = 0.896 and 0.837, respectively, between the two values at both the time periods. There was significant improvement in the systolic parameters of the LV function, that is, stroke volume index, cardiac index, systemic vascular resistance index, and delivered oxygen index. However, no correlation was observed between these values and the BNP levels. We believe that BNP can be used as a marker for LV diastolic dysfunction in place of the E/A ratio in patients with CCP, undergoing pericardiectomy. However, more studies have to be performed for validation of the same.

Pericardite constritiva manifestando-se como ascite refratária / Constrictive pericarditis observed as refractory ascites

A pericadite constritiva, causada por espessamento, inflamação ou calcificação pericárdica, é condição limitante ao enchimento diastólico do coração. Seu diagnóstico clínico nem sempre é fácil e suas manifestações clínicas, frequentemente, mimetizam outras patologias, principalmente as causas de congestão venosa sistêmica e de ascite refratária. Existem critérios ecocardiográficos, já bem estabelecidos, que auxiliam nesse diagnóstico diferencial, e a acurácia da ecocardiográfia nessa condição tem tido incrementos importantes, sobretudo com a descrição de novos critérios do Doppler tecidual. Essas técnicas de análise agregam dados inclusive para a diferenciação entre a pericardite constritiva e a miocardiopatia restritiva, o que usualmente representava um desafio. Esse relato demonstra um caso de pericardite constritiva, manifestando-se como ascite refratária que mimetizava hepatopatia, cujo diagnóstico diferencial, confirmado por cirurgia, consistiu em desafio, com participação definitiva da ecocardiografia nas tomadas de decisão.

Massagem cardíaca interna em cães: proposição de nova técnica para pericardiotomia de emergência tração - ligamentar / Internal cardiac massage in dogs: a new technique proposition for emergency pericardiotomy - ligament traction

OBJETIVO: Descrever uma técnica de pericardiotomia de emergência, denominada Tração Ligamentar (TL), para diminuir o tempo necessário ao início da Massagem Cardíaca Interna (MCI). Para a MCI necessita-se de toracotomia de emergência e pericardiotomia, ambas em tempo mínimo. A técnica comumente empregada corresponde a pericardiotomia em "T", cuja execução depende da apreensão do pericárdio com uma pinça de Allis. Este pinçamento é difícil, dificultando a reanimação do paciente. MÉTODOS: Utilizou-se 20 cadáveres de cães, divididos em dois grupos de animais, sendo o Grupo I - pericardiotomia em "T" (n=10) e Grupo II - técnica proposta (n=10). A técnica de TL consistiu na tração do ligamento frenicopericárdico e da secção do pericárdio próximo ao seu ápice. A incisão foi alongada pelos dedos enquanto eram nela introduzidos e permitiu, também, o correto posicionamento do coração na mão do operador, bem como o pronto início da MCI. RESULTADOS: O Grupo I apresentou tempo de execução de 21,79 ± 0,88 segundo, e o Grupo II de 8,58 ± 1,38 segundo, sendo p<0,0001, (altamente significativo). CONCLUSÃO: A técnica de pericardiotomia por TL impede um tempo maior de isquemia cerebral, por iniciar prematuramente a circulação sangüínea, contribuindo para a sobrevida.

Pericardiectomy: Experience from Tikur Anbessa Hospital; Addis Ababa; Ethiopia 1975-1993

Forty-four patients had undergone pericardiectomy in Tikur Anbessa Hospital; Addis Ababa; Ethiopia from 1975 to 1993. Twenty-two of these were analysed for clinical features; etiologic diagnosis and results of treatment. Most patients were young adults with male preponderance. Clinical features coincided with findings in other series of constrictive pericarditis and intractable pericardium effusion. The operative findings at pericardiectomy was a thickened pericardium in all cases; which was adherent to the heart in the majority of cases; and with a large pericardial effusion in four cases. Histology confirmed the presence of tuberculosis in the pericardial in six cases and in other cases it showed nonspecific chronic inflammation. Sixteen patients discharged improved and six died after surgery

Surgical treatment for chronic constrictive pericarditis.

One hundred and twelve patients were operated for constrictive pericarditis from December 1963 through May 1987 at J.J. Group of Hospitals, Bombay. All the patients had haemodynamically significant pericardial constriction preoperatively, and pericardial disease was confirmed at operation. Preoperatively, the patients were either in NYHA class III (96 cases), or class IV (16 cases). All the patients had ascites and/or peripheral oedema with an enlarged liver. Pericardiectomy was performed through a left anterior thoracotomy (92 cases), or median sternotomy (20 cases). There was an early mortality (deaths occurring within 30 days of operation) in 21 cases (18.75%). Early mortality was related to preoperative disability of the patients. Post-operatively, NYHA classification of patients at six months after operation showed improvement in functional class with 80 patients in either class I or II and 6 patients in class III.