HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hornick, P. Articles by Smith, P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Hornick, P. Articles by Smith, P.

European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Vol 9, 468-470, Copyright © 1995 by European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery

ARTICLES

Nocardia asteroides purulent pericarditis

P Hornick, P Harris and P Smith
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK.

A case is reported of a 71-year-old woman who developed cardiac tamponade as a result of a pyopericardium. The causative organism was Nocardia asteroides. This is the first reported case in the United Kingdom and only the 9th to be reported in the world. Despite prior radiological and echocardiographic investigations, we were unprepared at surgery for the volume of pus encountered. The dense adhesions, adherent pericardium and loculations encountered emphasizes the need to explore such patients surgically. We would advocate vigilance as to the possibility of pericardial involvement, in any patient contracting Nocardia asteroides infection. The medical and surgical management of this case is discussed together with a review of the literature.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. S. Drapkin and E. J. Mark Case 29-2000- A 69-Year-Old Renal-Transplant Recipient with Low-Grade Fever and Multiple Pulmonary Nodules N. Engl. J. Med., September 21, 2000; 343(12): 870 - 877. [Full Text] [PDF]