Radiological Treatment Method Spares Patients Surgery in Pericardial Effusion

Following heart surgery there is a risk that the patient will develop pericardial effusion, which is the collection of fluid around the heart. This complication is usually treated using an invasive surgical drainage technique.

However researchers have discovered that a minimally invasive procedure called CT-guided tube pericardiostomy is just as effective — requiring no recovery time, fewer resources, and provides an 89 percent cost savings over the surgical drainage technique, according to a study published in the October issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR).

Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) | Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery
Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or heart bypass surgery is an open heart surgery to relieve the blockages of the arteries of the heart. Coronary artery bypass surgery lasts up to 3 to 6 hours.

The study, performed at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, included 39 CT-guided tube pericardiostomy procedures that were all performed successfully.

"Patients having the procedure required only local anesthesia and no post-treatment recovery time," said Suzanne L. Palmer, MD, lead author of the study. "Comparison of procedure charges at our institution showed an 89 percent cost savings with CT-guided tube pericardiostomy instead of surgical drainage. We found that the total charge for a CT-guided procedure was only $769.15; the total charge for a surgical drainage procedure was $6,952.52," she said.

"Pericardial effusion occurs in as many as 85 percent of patients following cardiovascular surgery. CT-guided tube pericardiostomy is an attractive first-line therapeutic option for these patients, especially in the postoperative period because it spares them from having another invasive surgery," she said.

Heart Attack - Overview
Heart attack is the death of the heart muscle due to loss of blood supply. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Other names for heart attack include acute myocardial infarction, coronary thrombosis, and coronary occlusion.

"Aside from being cost competitive it also makes the treatment option less risky for patients. The procedure does not require general anesthesia and a catheter is inserted into the excess fluid for drainage — allowing physicians to avoid working around major organs and vascular structures," said Dr. Palmer.

Animation of heart attack symptoms
Heart attack can cause symptoms such as Chest pain or discomfort, Shortness of breath and pain in neck, back, arm, or shoulder and is due to blockage of blood supply to the heart muscles

Source-Eurekalert
RAS

Angioplasty
Arteries supplying the heart is sometimes blocked by plaque leading to heart attack.Angioplasty is a method by which a part of the blocked artery is expanded to place a stent.Once this is done normal blood flow resumes and the heart regains its normal function.