Percutaneous pericardial catheter drainage for symptomatic uremic pericardial effusions with narrow safety margins

Abstract

Background Percutaneous pericardial catheter drainage (PCD) for pericardial effusion is generally known to be limited by the high risk associated with effusions that are less than 10 mm thick. The objective was to report cases who underwent percutaneous PCD for symptomatic uremic pericardial effusions, which were less than 10 mm thick after cardiologist declined to perform the PCDs because of the narrow safety margins. Materials and methods Thirteen consecutive cases (11 patients) (median age, 56 years, range, 31–83) with symptomatic uremic pericardial effusion (thickness Results Pigtail catheter (8.5-Fr) insertion was successful for all patients, with a median procedure time of 7 minutes (range 4~12) without procedure-related complications. The median amount of drainage on the day of PCD was 700 mL (range, 250–1100). The median duration of catheter indwelling was 5 days (range, 1~32). In one case, the catheter was removed after 1 day due to chest pain. For all patients, pericardial effusion evacuation was achieved with relief of associated symptoms, representing 100% clinical success. Conclusion Percutaneous PCD may be safely performed for patients with symptomatic uremic pericardial effusions and narrow safety margins of less than 10 mm.