It is currently unclear about the duration of anti-tuberculous therapy before pericardiectomy (DATT) in patients with constrictive tuberculous pericarditis. A study aimed to explore the optimal DATT and its impact on surgical outcomes in these patients. The results appeared in the Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery.
This retrospective study consisted of 93 patients with constrictive tuberculous pericarditis undergoing pericardiectomy. The population of interest were divided into two groups according to the optimal cutoff value of DATT (DATT ≤1.05 and DATT >1.05) which was determined by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and Youden Index. The investigators then compared postoperative and survival outcomes were compared between the respective groups.
The results showed that compared with the DATT ≤1.05 group, the DATT >1.05 group had shorter postoperative intensive care unit stay (P = 0.023), duration of chest drainage (P = 0.002), and postoperative hospital stay (P = 0.001), as well as lower incidence of postoperative complications (P <0.001). There were no statistical differences between the two groups in recurrence and survival outcomes, the researchers noted.
“It would be of potential benefit to enhance recovery after pericardiectomy if DATT lasted for at least one month in the patients with constrictive tuberculous pericarditis,” the researchers concluded.
Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34702309/
Keywords: Anti-tuberculous therapy, Constrictive tuberculous pericarditis, Pericardiectomy
