TITLE:
Pericardial Rupture and Chronic Subluxation of the Heart: A Case Report
AUTHORS:
Pedram Rajabifard, Anurag Agarwal, Peter Skillington
KEYWORDS:
Pericardial Rupture, Pericardium, Trauma, Cardiac Trauma
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery,
Vol.11 No.9,
September
29,
2021
ABSTRACT: Background: Pericardial rupture is a rare diagnosis, usually occurring secondary to
high energy blunt force trauma, which can result in subluxation of the heart. Aim: To determine a suitable method for repair of a pericardial defect post
traumatic pericardial rupture. Case: We present a 55-year-old male who
was found to have a large pericardial defect intra-operatively while undergoing
an elective Ross procedure. The defect was repaired with a Gore-Tex membrane.
The patient underwent revision sternotomy and repair of the pericardium due to
inadequate laxity of the repaired pericardium resulting in hemodynamic instability. Conclusion: Synthetic membranes, such as Gore-Tex membranes, can be used
successfully for repair of large pericardial defects but care must be taken to
prevent undue tension secondary to taut repair, resulting in hemodynamic
compromise.