The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Vol 27, 55-58, Copyright © 1979 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Pericardial fluid gas analysis in hemorrhagic pericardial tamponade
S Balakrishnan, CW Hartman, GL Grinnan, AG Bartel, C Crisler and RD Brickman
Nine patients with hemorrhagic pericardial tamponade were studied to
determine the localizing value of gas analysis of pericardial fluid in
therapeutic pericardiocentesis. The aspirate and the central venous blood
was analyzed simultaneously for partial pressure of oxygen (PO2), partial
pressure of carbon dioxide (PCO2), and hematocrit at the time of
pericardiocentesis. In all 9 patients the difference in hematocrit between
the pericardial fluid and the central venous blood was not significant. The
PCO2 of pericardial fluid was significantly higher than that of central
venous blood (p less than 0.025). The PO2 of pericardial fluid was
consistently and significantly lower than that of central venous blood (p
less than 0.005). We conclude that in patients with hemorrhagic pericardial
tamponade, the simultaneous measurement of PO2 and PCO2 of central venous
blood and pericardial fluid is a useful rapid bedside method to confirm the
site of aspiration during pericardiocentesis. The PO2 determination is
statistically the best discriminator between the two fluids in this
setting.