Pericardiocentesis

-



The pericardium is a tough fibroelastic double-walled sac that encloses the heart and great vessels. It is also called the pericardial sac. It protects and lubricates the heart and keeps it in place within the chest. Problems can occur when the pericardium becomes inflamed or fills with fluid. The swelling can damage your heart and affect its function. 

Pericardiocentesis, also called a pericardial tap, is a procedure in which a needle and catheter remove fluid from the pericardium.


Why pericardiocentesis is needed:

Pericardiocentesis can help drain the fluid around the heart. And it can help diagnose the cause of the extra fluid. 

  • Inflammation or infection of the pericardium. This includes bacterial and viral infections, including after COVID-19 infection or in people with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
  • Chronic immune diseases like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and scleroderma.
  • Heart cancer.
  • Heart failure
  • Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland).
  • Injury
  • Reactions to certain drugs
  • Radiation
  • Metabolic causes, like kidney failure with uremia
  • Advanced cancer.
  • Heart attack (especially if the heart wall ruptures).
  • Tuberculosis (more common in developing countries)

 

Risk factor

  •  All procedures have some risks. The risks of pericardiocentesis include:
  • Puncturing the heart, which may require surgery to repair
  • Puncturing the liver
  • Excess bleeding, might compress the heart and affect its normal function
  • Air in the chest cavity
  • Infection
  • Abnormal heart rhythms (which can cause death in rare instances)
  • Heart failure with fluid in the lungs (rare)

 



Test before procedure

  • Chest X-ray
  • Electrocardiogram (ECG), to check the heart rhythm
  • Blood tests, to assess general health
  • Echocardiogram, to view blood flow through the heart and the fluid around the heart
  • CT or MRI, if the doctor needs more information about the heart
  • Heart catheterization, to measure the pressure within the heart

 

 Accounting for thorough experience and practice, Dr Aritra Konar is the best cardiologist in Kolkata. He has been deemed one of the best cardiologists in Kolkata for his expertise lies in Coronary (femoral & radial routes) angiography, Coronary angioplasty (including primary angioplasty), Peripheral angiography and angioplasty, BMV, BPV, Right heart catheterization and so on, in procedural skills. His guidance is trusted and so are his skills.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Arrhythmia surgery

-
Image
  Arrhythmia surgery is a medical procedure performed to treat irregular heartbeats, also known as arrhythmias. These abnormal heart rhythms can cause symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath, and even chest pain. If left untreated, they can lead to serious complications, such as stroke or heart failure. Arrhythmia surgery is usually recommended when medication and other non-invasive treatments fail to control the irregular heartbeats. The procedure involves the use of various techniques to destroy or modify the abnormal electrical pathways in the heart. Some of the techniques used in arrhythmia surgery include catheter ablation, maze procedure, and implantable devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators. Catheter ablation is a minimally invasive procedure in which a thin, flexible tube (catheter) is inserted through a vein in the groin and threaded up to the heart. Once in the heart, the catheter is used to deliver energy (such as radiofrequency or cryotherapy)...
Read more

CANCER AND MENTAL HEALTH- IT DOESN’T JUST AFFECT YOUR BODY

-
Image
As far as treatment for cancer goes, with recent technology and advanced methods of treating the disease the procedure has of course become a lot less painful and efficient, decreasing mortality rate by quite a lot as compared to traditional methods of treatment. Doctors now have a better understanding of the causes, symptoms and effects and how to treat their patients accurately. The patients too are always updated and consoled to the best one can, but does it mean that those affected are free of mental and emotional distress? Unfortunately the answer is still a no for this one. Knowing that one has ‘cancer’, irrespective of the sort and the intensity, the word itself has the capability to put a person into deep distress. Feelings of depression, anxiety and fear are very common in such cases. It is a tug of war between life and death and the exhaustion of anticipation is clearly high on a person and their loved ones. No matter how much knowledge and sympathy or compassion one might ge...
Read more

Blood Cancer- Part 2

-
Image
  How is blood cancer diagnosed? A physical examination to check your overall health is often the first step in making a diagnosis. Your doctor will look at your body and lymph nodes, look for signs of infection, and review your medical history. The diagnosis of blood cancer can be made with a variety of tests and procedures. The type of blood cancer that is suspected will dictate what you need. In order to make a diagnosis, your care team may suggest testing and evaluate all of the results with you. Biopsies A biopsy is a procedure that takes cell samples for a pathologist to look at in a lab. A lymph node biopsy, which involves taking a sample of lymph tissue or the entire lymph node, may be required for certain types of blood cancer, such as lymphoma. Certain types of blood cancer can be identified by testing your bone marrow, the place where blood cells are made. A bone marrow aspiration is a method by which a small amount of blood, bone, and bone are taken from either a breast...
Read more