Surgical treatment of purulent pericarditis in children

Abstract

Since 1971 we have seen 15 children with the diagnosis of purulent pericarditis. The causative organism was Hemophilus influenzae in seven, Staphylococcus aureus in three, and five were due to other organisms. In one child the diagnosis was unsuspected until autopsy. The other 14 patients were all treated with intravenous antibiotics to which the organism was sensitive. One child had an immediate pericardiectomy because of tamponade. The other 13 patients had pericardiocentesis for diagnosis and initial therapy. Pericardiocentesis alone resulted in recovery of four patients and failed in nine, including all seven patients with H. influenzae. These nine had recurrent tamponade or a persistent picture of sepsis that was unresponsive to repeated pericardiocenteses and necessitated operative intervention. The procedure used was subxiphoid tube drainage in two patients. One recovered and the other required further operation. The remaining seven patients were treated with pericardiectomy. All pericardiectomy patients recovered without complications or recurrent symptoms. Survivors are asymptomatic with no evidence of pericardial constriction. We recommend immediate pericardiocentesis for diagnosis and initial therapy. Early pericardiectomy should be performed if the causative organism is H. influenzae, if tamponade occurs after initial pericardiocentesis, or if fever persists despite appropriate antibiotics.