CARDIAC-TAMPONADE FOLLOWING MINIMALLY INVASIVE DIRECT CORONARY-ARTERYBYPASS

We report a case of cardiac tamponade resulting in a death following m inimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass, Despite absence of cl inical symptoms at the lime of hospital discharge, cardiac tamponade p hysiology may have been evident on close evaluation of Doppler studies of the left internal mammary artery. Performance of a predischarge tr ansthoracic echocardiogram may have been confirmatory and lifesaving.