Table 4.

Patient outcomes and surgical management according to computed tomography scan estimates of pericardial fluid amount

Pericardial fluid category	N (total 75 patients)	Operative procedures performed	In-hospital mortality
Minimal	32	1 /32 (3%) -Thoracotomy -Operative indications: hypotension -Findings: no visualized pericardial fluid -Survived to hospital discharge	2 /32 (6%) -Intracranial injuries -Multisystem organ failure
Small	20	2 /20 (10%) -Pericardial window without drain -Operative indications: pericardial fluid, ST changes -Findings:200 cc blood, no active bleeding -Required reoperation 20 hours postoperatively for re-accumulation of fluid and hypotension: sternotomy showed serous fluid -Survived to hospital discharge -Thoracotomy -Operative indications: pericardial fluid, CT evidence of cardiac herniation -Findings: Pericardial laceration without visualized pericardial fluid -Survived to hospital discharge	2 /20 (10%) -Multisystem organ failure -Multisystem organ failure
Moderate	8	1 /8 (13%) -Pericardial window with drain -Operative indications: pericardial fluid, hypotension, bradycardia -Findings: clear fluid -Survived to hospital discharge	2 /8 (25%) -Multisystem organ failure -PEA arrest related to blunt aortic injury and pelvic extravasation
Large	5	3 /5 (60%) -Pericardial window > sternotomy -Operative indications: pericardial fluid, hypotension, elevated central venous pressure -Findings: 100 cc blood and normalization of hemodynamics upon pericardiotomy. Sternotomy showed apical cardiac contusion without bleeding or laceration -Survived to hospital discharge -Pericardial window with drain -Operative indications: pericardial fluid, hypotension -Findings: 300 cc blood without active bleeding and normalization of hemodynamics upon pericardiotomy. -Survived to hospital discharge -Pericardial window without drain -Operative indications: pericardial fluid, hypotension -Findings: clear fluid -Survived to hospital discharge	0 /5 (0%)
Questionable pericardial fluid	9	0 /9 (0%)	1 /9 (11%) -Respiratory failure, hypotension, acidosis

Footnote:

^aPericardial fluid categories were defined as: minimal <5mm but noncircumferential, small <5mm and circumferential, moderate ≥5mm to <10 mm and circumferential, large ≥10 mm and circumferential.