Incidence of pericardial effusions in acute myocardial infarctions

To study the incidence of pericardial effusions in the first 72 hours after myocardial infarction, M-mode echocardiograms were performed on 90 of 100 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarctions. Pericardial effusions were documented in five patients (5.6 percent), four of which resolved without sequelae by the time of discharge. The remaining patient died of presumed myocardial rupture. Pericardial effusions tended to be more common in patients with anterior or anterolateral infarcts and in those who had received intracoronary streptokinase (p less than .10). No patient with postinfarction pericarditis had an effusion.