Pericardial window
Pericardial window | |
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Specialty | {{#statements:P1995}} |
ICD-9-CM | 37.12 |
A pericardial window is a cardiac surgical procedure to create a fistula - or "window" - from the pericardial space to the pleural cavity.[1] The purpose of the window is to allow a pericardial effusion (usually malignant) to drain from the space surrounding the heart into the chest cavity - where the fluid is not as dangerous; an untreated pericardial effusion can lead to cardiac tamponade and death.
The window is usually performed by a cardiac surgeon who makes an incision, commonly sub-xiphoid, and cuts a small hole in the pericardium which is the membrane that surrounds the heart.
The pericardial window procedure decreases the incidence of postoperative pericardial tamponade and new-onset atrial fibrillation after the open heart surgery.[2]
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