Experience With Pericardiectomy for Constrictive Pericarditis Over Eight Decades

Murashita and colleagues reviewed the surgical outcomes of patients with intraoperatively-confirmed constrictive pericarditis. The authors divided patients into a historical group (1936- 1990) and a contemporary group (1990-2013) to compare patient presentation and analyze risk factors for negative outcomes. The etiology of pericarditis was known in nearly half of contemporary cases, as opposed to fewer than 20% of historical cases. Long-term outcomes were similar between the groups when patient characteristics were controlled for.

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