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Pericardiotomy and right ventricular failure: a case report.
1Intensive Care Division, Department APSI, Geneva University Hospitals, CH-1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland.
Journal of Clinical Anesthesia
|June 19, 2007
Summary
Emergency sternotomy and pericardiotomy successfully treated a patient with cardiogenic shock from acute right ventricular failure. This procedure may be beneficial for right ventricular failure, even without pulmonary embolism.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Cardiac Surgery
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- Acute right ventricular failure can lead to cardiogenic shock, a life-threatening condition.
- Pulmonary embolism is a common cause of right ventricular failure, necessitating prompt diagnosis and treatment.
- Postoperative cardiogenic shock requires immediate intervention to improve patient outcomes.
Observation:
- A 57-year-old woman presented with cardiogenic shock due to right ventricular failure in the postoperative period.
- Clinical suspicion of pulmonary embolism prompted an emergency thrombectomy.
- The patient underwent sternotomy and pericardiotomy for the procedure.
Findings:
- No thrombus was found during the emergency surgery.
- The patient experienced dramatic clinical improvement following sternotomy and pericardiotomy.
- The surgical intervention effectively resolved the cardiogenic shock and right ventricular failure.
Implications:
- Sternotomy and pericardiotomy may serve as a critical treatment for acute right ventricular failure.
- This approach could be effective even in cases with small pericardial effusions and without confirmed pulmonary embolism.
- The findings suggest a potential therapeutic role for sternotomy and pericardiotomy in specific critical care scenarios.
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