Inpatient mortality and its predictors after pericardiocentesis: An analysis from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Interventional Cardiology
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Limited data exists on in-hospital outcomes and predictors following pericardiocentesis, primarily from single-center studies.
• Outcomes for iatrogenic pericardial effusion and the impact of procedural volume on outcomes remain largely unknown.
• National registries offer valuable insights into cardiac procedure outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate inpatient outcomes after pericardiocentesis in the United States.
• To analyze outcomes in patients with iatrogenic pericardial effusion.
• To investigate the impact of hospital procedural volume on inpatient mortality.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the National Inpatient Sample database from 2009-2013.
• Analyzed inpatient outcomes for all pericardiocentesis procedures and specific subgroups.
• Assessed the association between hospital procedural volume and inpatient mortality.

Main Results:

• Over 64,000 pericardiocentesis procedures were performed between 2009-2013.
• Overall inpatient mortality was 12.30%, with higher rates for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and structural heart interventions (SHI).
• Higher hospital procedural volume demonstrated an inverse association with inpatient mortality (p<0.001).

Conclusions:

• Inpatient mortality following pericardiocentesis is substantial.
• Mortality is particularly elevated when pericardiocentesis is associated with PCI and SHI.
• Hospital procedural volume is a significant predictor of inpatient mortality.