Osborne, M. P., Paneth, M., and Hinson, K. F. W. (1974). Thorax, 29, 199-203. Starch granules in the pericardium as a cause of the post-cardiotomy syndrome. A case of the 'post-cardiotomy' syndrome following mitral valve replacement is reported. Recurring pericardial effusions and cardiac tamponade required surgical drainage. Pericardial biopsy demonstrated an inflammatory reaction in the prese...

The pericardium surrounds the heart and consists of a visceral layer, which is contiguous with the epicardium of the heart, and a parietal layer, which forms a sac around the heart (Wann & Passen, 2008). Located between the parietal and visceral layers is a potential space called the pericardial cavity. The pericardial cavity normally contains as much as 50 mL of an ultrafiltrate of plasma. Ana...

Post-cardiac injury syndrome (PCIS) is an inflammatory process involving the pericardium secondary to cardiac injury. It can develop after cardiac trauma, cardiac surgery, myocardial infarction, and, rarely, after certain intravascular procedures. We report a rare case of an iatrogenic cardiac rupture followed by PCIS with delayed inflammatory pericardial effusion after pacemaker implantation. ...

Congenital defects of the pericardium are considered rare. Until 1979 , the reported cases were only about 200.1 Total absence of the left pericardium is the most common defect2 and less common is a partial defect of the left pericardium. Other types, i.e. isolated right-sided defects, total pericardial absence and diaphragmatic pericardial defects are very rare.3 Before the last decade, t...

New onset of electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities can occur after lung surgery due to the changes in the position of structures and organs in the chest cavity. The most common heart rhythm disorder is atrial fibrillation. So-called "pseudoischemic" ECG changes that mimic classic ECG signs of acute myocardial ischemia are also often noticed. We report the case of a 68-year-old male, with no ...

Between July 1968 and December 1975, 821 patients underwent open heart operations. In 596 cases the pericardium was left open and in 225 the pericardium was closed. Forty-one patients in the open pericardium group required reoperation and 23 of these had tamponade. Four patients in the closed pericardium group had reoperation but there was not a single case of tamponade. In most cases that requ...

Acute purulent pericarditis is rare and more prevalent in the pre-antibiotic era with high mortality, around 40% despite optimal treatment. The diagnosis can be difficult, requiring practice of a pericardiocentesis cases index suspicion. When such entity coincides another one frequently become tricky. We present case man previous thoracic surgery who was admitted due to an ST Elevation Myocardi...

Mice deficient for the expression of CTLA-4 develop a lethal lymphoproliferative syndrome and multiorgan inflammation leading to death at about 4 wk of age. Here we show that RAG2-deficient mice reconstituted with CTLA-4-deficient bone marrow do not develop a lymphoproliferative syndrome despite lymphocyte infiltration mainly into pericardium and liver. Moreover, RAG2-deficient mice reconstitut...

Patients with bullets in the pericardial sac without myocardial injuries are rare and most commonly are associated with significant trauma. The diagnosis of an intrapericardial foreign body can be difficult. Its removal is always indicated because it prevents pericarditis either sterile or infectious with potential for other significant complications. The syndrome of acute intermittent pericard...

urulent pericarditis caused by Staphylococcus aureus is an infrequent complication of infections originating in another body location. It is typically an acute and often catastrophic illness. In this report a 23-year-old man presented to accident and emergency department with fever, productive cough and chest pain of 5 days duration, followed by shortness of breath. Chest x-ray showed air fluid...