Pericardiocentesis
Find a heart specialistDraining fluid from the sac that surrounds your heart can help relieve symptoms such as shortness of breath. Your doctor also can use this procedure, called pericardiocentesis, to check for signs of infection or cancer in that fluid.
Here at Aurora Health Care, we’ll be with you every step of the way from diagnosis to recovery to help you get better.
What is pericardiocentesis?
During pericardiocentesis, your doctor uses a needle and a small, hollow tube (catheter) to remove the fluid from around your heart.
An increase in the fluid in your pericardial sac could be caused by an illness or disease. When you have too much fluid, you could end up with shortness of breath and other problems. A pericardiocentesis can help relieve these symptoms.
Prior to the procedure you'll see your physician for personalized guidelines to prepare including:
- Refraining from eating or drinking anything after midnight the night before your procedure
- How to get ready for your procedure including any medications you may need to stop taking
- Answering your questions and concerns
Pericardiocentesis takes about an hour. You may receive a mild sedative to help you relax.
After numbing your chest, your doctor will thread a catheter through a blood vessel to the sac around your heart. We’ll also do an echocardiogram at the same time as the pericardiocentesis to help your doctor figure out exactly where in the pericardial sac the fluid has collected.
When the procedure is done, the catheter may be left in place for a few days to continue to drain more fluid. You may need to stay in the hospital for a day or two.
Before you go home, we’ll give you instructions for follow-up care, including when you can resume your normal activities.
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