Clinical Outcomes in Adults Presenting with Pericardial Effusion: A Two-Year Retrospective Study in a Semi-rural Tertiary Hospital

Abstract

Background: Data on in-hospital mortality, recurrence, and short-term survival after hospitalisation among adults with pericardial effusion are scarce in rural and semi-urban hospital settings. Aims: To describe the short-term outcomes among adults presenting with pericardial effusion (PEf) and determine the clinical correlates of survival. Study Design: Retrospective cohort study. Place and Duration of Study: Medical wards and echocardiography unit of Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital from January 2024 to December 2025. Methodology: Hospital records of 22 patients (13 males and 9 females; age range, 18-76 years) with echocardiographically detected PEf were retrieved. The information retrieved included age, sex, comorbidities, length of hospital stay, effusion severity and aetiology, cardiac tamponade, and outcomes following admission and drainage. Outcomes were measured using in-hospital mortality, resolution by day 7 after drain insertion, survival at 3 months after discharge, and recurrence of pericardial effusion within 3 months after discharge. Results: PEf was drained in 20 patients (90.9%), most commonly by echocardiography-guided percutaneous pericardial catheter drainage (14/20, 70.0%). Resolution by day 7 after drain insertion was recorded in 18 patients (90.0%). In-hospital mortality occurred in one patient (4.5%), recurrence within 3 months after discharge occurred in three of 19 patients (15.8%), and 15 of 21 patients (71.4%) survived to 3 months after discharge. Survival was lower among females than males (44.4% vs 84.6%). Age, cardiac tamponade, repeat in-hospital PEf drainage, aetiology, effusion severity, and effusion type were not significantly associated with survival at 3 months after discharge. Female sex and the presence of comorbidity were significantly and negatively correlated with survival at 3 months after discharge (Spearman's rho=-0.517, p=0.016; and rho=-0.605, p=0.003, respectively). Conclusion: Although drainage was frequently followed by early PEf resolution, recurrence and post-discharge mortality remained evident. Short-term survival appeared to be influenced by comorbidity burden rather than effusion severity; therefore, structured clinical follow-up after discharge is warranted.