{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,12]],"date-time":"2026-09-12T08:47:21Z","timestamp":1789202841957,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,18]],"date-time":"2026-04-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1776470400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Pericardial effusion (PEf) is a frequent finding after cardiac surgery. Progression to cardiac tamponade (CT) is a rare but life-threatening complication. Current evidence remains limited due to insufficient data on prevalence, progression predictors and management strategies. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed anamnestic, clinical, laboratory, echocardiographic and therapeutic data from 2662 patients (74 \u00b1 11 years) admitted to the Cardiac Rehabilitation ward between 2022 and 2024. Results: Among 2152 (81%) cardiac surgery patients, 382 (18%) developed PEf: 58% mild, 38% moderate, and 4% severe. Patients developing PEf tended to be younger and more frequently male. In addition, PEf development was seen more commonly after aortic and combined surgeries. All patients with severe PEf or CT had undergone surgery via sternotomy, whereas minithoracotomy was inversely associated with PEf severity. Postoperative complications occurred in 92% of PEf patients, mainly due to arrhythmia, hemodynamic deterioration, or heart failure. Overall outcome was favourable in 98% of patients. CT occurred in eight patients (2%). Anticoagulation therapy was more frequent among patients who developed PEf or CT. Preventive colchicine was prescribed in only 16% of cases. No PEf-specific therapy was administered in 56% of PEf patients, while corticosteroids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were used in 28% and 8% of cases, respectively, without surgical wound complications. No PEf recurrences were observed during follow up (517 \u00b1 424 days). Conclusions: PEf is a common complication after cardiac surgery, more frequently in young males, usually of mild or moderate severity. The majority of these cases resolve using either a conservative or pharmacological approach, predominantly via corticosteroids. Patients undergoing aortic surgery, experiencing postoperative complications (especially arrhythmias), and receiving anticoagulation therapy were associated with severe PEf or CT. Despite guideline recommendations, colchicine remains markedly underutilized.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm15083101","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,20]],"date-time":"2026-04-20T08:24:23Z","timestamp":1776673463000},"page":"3101","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Pericardial Effusion After Cardiac Surgery: Prevalence, Characteristics, Risk Factors and Management"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Gaia","family":"Cattadori","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Cardiovascular Section, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy"},{"name":"IRCCS Multimedica, 20099 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anna","family":"Picozzi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IRCCS Multimedica, 20099 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8153-2599","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elena","family":"Tagliabue","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IRCCS Multimedica, 20099 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Giovanna Elsa Ute","family":"Muti Schuenemann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IRCCS Multimedica, 20099 Milan, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Emergency, Fondazione IRCSS Ca\u2019 Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tiziana","family":"Staine","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IRCCS Multimedica, 20099 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Roberta","family":"Chiodelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IRCCS Multimedica, 20099 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anna","family":"Scaglione","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IRCCS Multimedica, 20099 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Barbara","family":"Baronio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IRCCS Multimedica, 20099 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-6538-7401","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Silvia","family":"Di Marco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IRCCS Multimedica, 20099 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Claudio","family":"Anz\u00e0","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IRCCS Multimedica, 20099 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"506","DOI":"10.1161\/01.CIR.69.3.506","article-title":"The incidence and natural history of pericardial effusion after cardiac surgery\u2014An echocardiographic study","volume":"69","author":"Weitzman","year":"1984","journal-title":"Circulation"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"97","DOI":"10.1016\/0002-8703(88)90255-4","article-title":"Pericardial effusion after cardiac surgery: Incidence, relation to the type of surgery, antithrombotic therapy, and early coronary bypass graft patency","volume":"116","author":"Huikuri","year":"1988","journal-title":"Am. 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