[Epidemiological analysis of pericardiotomies performed at a university hospital of Curitiba]

Epidemiologically analyze the use of the pericardiostomy in the diagnosis of cardiac injury in a trauma universitary hospital in Curitiba.

Observacional, retrospective study, analyzing medical records of patients who were submitted to penetrating or blunt trauma, in a period of 06 years, in Urgency and Emergency unit of Cajuru Universitary Hospital.

120 patients had been submitted to pericardiostomy in the period above related. The age group varied from 15 to 80 years, the major prevalence between 20 and 30 years (49.7%), 105 patients were men and 15 women. Blunt trauma corresponded to 14 patients and penetrating to 105 patients. From penetrating ones, 41 patients were inflicted by stabwound, 60 by gunshot wound and 4 by both. About injury sites: 47.5% had been precordial, 34.16% in thoraco-abdominal transistion, 5.0% in both and 13.33% in other sites. From the accomplished JP, 72.5% had been negative and 27.5% positive. Among the positive, cardiac injuries diagnosed by immediate thoracotomy were: right atrium 21.2%, right ventricle 30.3%, left ventricle 24,2%, ascending aorta 3%, no injury 21.2%. 35 patients died: 18 of them up to 24hs and 17 after 24hs.

The pericardiostomy were performed mostly in young men with penetrating trauma caused by gunshot wounds., in its majority with injury of the right ventricle as main finding, which agreed to the reviwed literature.