Objective: To assess the etiologic diagnoses and outcome of acute pericardial effusion associated to acute renal renal failure.
Patients and methods: A retrospective study from 1978 to 1996 in a 10 bed medical/surgical intensive care unit included 11 patients who have an acute pericardial effusion associated with an acute renal failure.
Results: Etiological diagnoses were systemic lupus with extracapillary glomerulonephritis (n = 2), systemic fibrosis with obstructive renal failure (n = 2), anticoagulation accident with hemodynamic renal failure (n = 2), lung adenocarcinoma (n = 2), adenocarcinoma of undetermined origin (n = 1), systemic polyarteritis nodosa (n = 1), and Wegener granulomatosis (n = 1). Intensive care unit deaths was 4, including 2 cases of neoplasic origin.
Discussion: Despite infection or malignancy being claimed as the leading causes of acute pericardial effusion, when associated to acute renal failure other etiologic diagnoses, such connectivite tissue disease or vasculitis, must be evoked that prompt specific treatment and could prevent unfavorable evolution. Neoplasic causes were characterised by receiving pericardial effusion and a high mortality rate.