Scand J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 1987;21(2):131-4. doi: 10.3109/14017438709106509.

Immediate hemodynamic effects of pericardial closure after open-heart surgery.

Scandinavian journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery

A Järvinen, K Peltola, J Räsänen, J Heikkilä

PMID: 3497443 DOI: 10.3109/14017438709106509

Abstract

Acute hemodynamic effects of a routine pericardial closure after cardiopulmonary bypass was studied in 29 patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Clinically, the pericardial closure was well tolerated. Pericardial closure resulted in an 8% decrease of cardiac output (p less than 0.01) while cardiac index remained normal (2.9 l/min/m2 +/- 0.6 SD). The effect of the pericardium on pulmonary arterial and wedge pressures, and on systemic arterial pressure was not significant. Central venous pressure increased from 8 +/- 2 mmHg to 9 +/- 3 mmHg (p less than 0.05) after pericardial closure and decreased to 7 +/- 3 mmHg (p less than 0.05) when the pericardium was reopened. Left ventricular end-diastolic cavity diameter by echocardiography decreased in 19 of the patients studied from 46 +/- 6 mm to 41 +/- 5 mm (p less than 0.01) when the pericardium was closed, and increased to 45 +/- 6 mm (p less than 0.01) after re-opening of the pericardiotomy incision. The hemodynamic effects of pericardial closure seem to result from limited ventricular filling.

MeSH terms

• Cardiopulmonary Bypass*
• Coronary Artery Bypass
• Female
• Hemodynamics*
• Humans
• Male
• Methods
• Middle Aged
• Pericardium / surgery

Publication Types

• Journal Article