Clinical course and predictors of pericardial effusion following cardiac transplantation

Pericardial effusions occur frequently after orthotopic heart transplantation. There have been conflicting reports describing etiology, prognosis, and outcomes associated with these early postoperative effusions.

A retrospective review of 91 patients transplanted between January 2001 and September 2004 was performed. Pericardial effusion was defined by serial echocardiography and graded as none, small, moderate, or large. A total of 1088 echocardiograms were evaluated during the first posttransplant year. Perioperative variables were evaluated by logistic regression analysis to define predictors for occurrence of effusions.

Echocardiographic data were available for 88 patients. Thirty-one patients (35%) developed moderate to large effusion in the immediate postoperative period. Three patients developed hemodynamic compromise that required immediate intervention. All other effusions resolved within 3 months of heart transplantation without any specific intervention. Only prolonged donor ischemic time was associated with higher risk of occurrence of moderate to large pericardial effusions (odds ratio 1.012, 95% confidence interval 1.001 to 1.019, P = .033). There was no difference in morbidity or early mortality between patients with and without pericardial effusions.

Moderate to large pericardial effusions occur frequently after heart transplantation. In a vast majority, these effusions are not associated with any adverse clinical outcomes and resolve within 3 months postoperatively. Early postoperative close monitoring is still required to evaluate for tamponade.