Fetal Pericardial Effusion? What is this? And should I be worried?

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My husband and I went in for our 2 week ultrasound and we found out that our son has some fluid around his heart. Nothing else seems to be wrong and the heartbeat is at 153. They told us the amount of fluid was small (1.3mm), but I am freaking out. Any fluid above 2mm is considered abnormal. This is of course my first pregnancy and I am worried about our sons heart condition after the birth. Does anymore know what this condition, or been trough it themselves? Any help would be great! Thanks,
i have had pericardial effusion myself 2 yrs ago but since your son is unborn i dont know what will happen if anything but i had 2 be hospitalized for 4 days and they had to drain the fluid off by inserting a tube in my chest and draining it i had 20 ounces of fluid around my heart  (+ info)

What is a trivial pericardial effusion.?

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You have a sac which surrounds your heart called the pericardium, it normally contains a small amount of fluid. This sac prevents friction from occuring on the heart while it is beating (so it doesn't rub against other organs). If you have a pericardial effusion, it means that there is fluid buildup in the sac moreso than normal. A trivial effusion is too small to consider tapping and draining it with a needle, and your body will likely reabsorb the excess.  (+ info)

I HAVE A SMALL Pericardial effusion Am I Going To Die?? IM Scared?

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I HAVE A SMALL Pericardial effusion i had stress test with no di...ekg, echo and 24 hour heart monitor all came out good...blood pressure 105 / 60 i was not sick or had a cold....why do i have this...im scared
This is not the place to ask about it. All you will get will be stupid guesses from teenagers. Ask a Dr. or go to www.WebMD.com  (+ info)

Pericardial Effusion with virus -what is it?

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Firstly, the pericardium is a sac around the heart. Pericardial Effusion is the abnormal accumulation of fluids within it. With virus simply means it was caused by a virus.  (+ info)

Fetal pericardial effusion update?

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I posted several questions on here desperate for answers on fetal pericardial effusion. Last month during my first ultrasound (at 3 weeks), we were told that our baby had a small pericardial effusion. There was not much information on the internet about it, all bad things, I tried everywhere.

Fortunately, I got in to see a specialist yesterday, and he explained more about it. We did another ultrasound and the effusion has decreased from 4mm to 1.3mm!! Anything under 2mm is of no concern.

Not a question, just wanted to share my wonderful news and offer advice/information to anyone else who may have to go through this!
congrats! enjoy the rest of your pregnancy with your healthy baby! yay for you!  (+ info)

Reoccurring Pericardial Effusion?

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I am only 16 and for the past, i would say 6 years, I've been having pericardial effusion every few months. I didn't know what I had, I just knew it hurt to breathe and it hurt worse when I would lie down and there were a few other symptoms I had. About 2 or 3 months ago I had the symptoms again and I was with my mom instead of my dad and she took me to the doctor (I had lived with my dad till this summer and he had never taken me to the doctor for it). The doctor did a few EKG's and all of them came back showing different minor abnormalities. He told my mom I should go to a cardiologist and she was going to make an appointment but when I was still in pain later that week, being a worrisome mother, she took me to the emergency room and I ended up having an echo cardiogram. Then I was diagnosed with pericardial effusion. My doctor has been trying to figure out what is causing it and what has been causing it for the past 6 years. He has done more than fifty blood tests and multiple other tests but still hasn't come up with an answer. The symptoms had gone away but now suddenly they are back again only 2 or 3 months later, when in the past they didn't come back until 4 or 5 months later. Is it getting more serious? Am i going to be ok? Is there anything i can do to make it hurt less? Please, i need some help. I am really worried.. I have so many plans and dreams for my life and I don't want them to all be crushed because of this... If you have any information about this that can help please tell me.. I have been to a few sites, one of which being the mayo clinic, but i can't find anything to help me...
Underlying causes, if any, should be found out and treated.  (+ info)

Pericardial effusion due to breast cancer....life expectancy?

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My mother in law has peridardial effusion due to breast cancer.
They have offered to aspirate. Obviously, she doesn't want to do that.
They gave her Lasix for one week.
Based on your personal experience, do you think she will be fit for her first chemo after taking lasix, or will this just remove the symptoms, and let her survive a while longer without chemo?

I had read somewhere that most people who had pericardial effusion from metastases of breast cancer only survived about 6 months.

Do you have any anecdotal input as to her prognosis when this happens?
She is being treated in mexico. They already did physical harm to her when they did the lung aspiration, and we are very worried about malpractiice. She has waited since thanksgiving for her first chemo treatment. Their socialized healthcare is a nightmare, and we aren't getting ANY answers from the doctors.
Thank you.
My mother also died of lung cancer, and experienced pleural effusion.
However, your mom was luckier (maybe) than mine...my mom died 2 weeks later. They aspirated the pleural space 3x during 5 days.

My mother in law has breast cancer in her lungs, but no effusion there, luckily.
This is why the pericardial effusion is confusing me.
Hi.

First of all, thoughts and prayers to your mother-in-law. This must be very difficult time for your family.
Thank you for being concerned about your mother-in-law's health and well-being. I was my mother's caretaker and I know how difficult these issues are to understand and process.

Speaking from my mother's experience (Stage 4), we found out she had significant pleural (lung) and pericardial effusion in August 09. She spent one month in the hospital. She had surgery and was given a pericardial window as well as a chest tube to drain the fluid from around her lungs and heart. It took many days to completely drain all the fluid.

She was placed on Lasix (40 mg daily) and in three subsequent trips to her cardiologist, the fluid never reappeared in a significant amount. There was a small amount of accumulation but not enough to be concerned about (not serious enough for another invasive procedure). Her last trip to her cardiologist was December 17.

Unfortunately my mother passed away Jan. '10 but it was not from the pericardial effusion. It was actually from a pulmonary embolism.

The main thing is to avoid any invasive procedures. I think, depending on the amount of fluid surrounding her heart, the Lasix may be effective. Her diet will play an important role in this process as well. Be certain she is limiting her sodium intake as too much sodium will make her retain fluid.  (+ info)

Fluid on the heart, pericardial effusion?

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Hi, I had a Ct scan of the chest with oral and IV contrast. The results were that I had pericardial effusion. The symptoms that I have been having that are probably related to this issue are: Chest pain behind the breast bone, low blood pressure, rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, dizziness/lightheaded-ness, random low-grade fevers, occasional dry cough, and the chest pain seems to improve when I lean forward and worsen when I lie flat.
I am only 18, but these symptoms are affecting my life pretty badly and I have tried medications (Aspirin and such) to help the problem. It has not went away or improved, so is there another option for treatment of this condition?
You need to get an appt. asap with a cardiologist. Make sure you take your CT scan films with you. You can sign them out at the medical record department where your test was done.  (+ info)

Did my brother suffer pericardial effusion because of asbestos??

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My brother 14, my sister 15, me 16 2yrs ago wen our adoptive parents decided that they wanted to put new insulation in our attic. They paid us to remove the old insulation. beings that the house was an old log cabin & built in the early 1900's or late 1800's it was filled with asbestos. My little brother was teh one doing most the work. but i helped him bag it up & vacume it out. (my sister was outside throwing it away) they gave us masks to use but beings im soo small my mask did nothing for me & i would have a dark blob on the inside when i took it off from inhailing it. i had to stop after 3 days because it made me sick & i still see little grey specks when i spit sometimes. but a few months later my brother was taken to the hospital & they had to ship him out on a helicopter to the closest ICU. he was in the hospital for a week & i think he had to have surgery. the doctors said he had water around his heart (pericardial effusion) & he almost died. was it cuz the asbestos?
Yes, Pericardial Effusion can be a side effect of asbestos inhalation. Did you tell the doctors when he was in the hospital about the asbestos removal & inhalation. He is at great risk for possible Mesothelioma in the future. Make sure he is getting on-going treatment from a Pulmonologist.

In addition, both you & your sister need to go to a Pulmonologist immediately & have tests run. Explain the exposure you both had.....even minimal exposure can cause long term health issues. The scary part of asbestos contamination is that it is often symptomless. Make sure to tell the doctor about the grey specks you see in your sputum this is a very serious symptom. You need to have blood work done & a chest x-ray to check for any abnormalities. Good luck!  (+ info)

i have a mild pericardial effusion , esr not decreasing?

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49 yrs , controlled NIDDM ,
pericardial effusion since 2 months , decreased from 23 mm ant and post to the heart by echo till 10 mm- now i am generally much better , no dyspnea no fatigue.
but ESR do not decrease (38-75) at start to (45-82) now - , -ve tuberculin test , although c reactive + rheumatoid factor and ANA are highly positive , the specific tests as anti double strand and anti PPs for rehumatoid are -ve . am on indomethazin 75 SR BID and colchecine 0.5 BID and tonics. at the 7th week I tried dexamethazone T 0.5 mg X 3 and on the 3rd day i had fever , sore throat and and 10 mm elevation on ESR. stopped . ? viral infection then not idiopathic- how can i proceed ?????
  (+ info)

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