cardiocentesis /car·dio·cen·te·sis/ (kahr″de-o-sen-te´sis) surgical puncture of the heart.
car·di·o·cen·te·sis (kär d - -s n-t s s)n. Puncture of a chamber of the heart for diagnosis or therapy. |
cardiocentesis
surgical puncture into the pericardial space and aspiration of fluid for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes. Therapeutically, the procedure is used as an emergency measure to relieve life-threatening cardiac tamponade. Other clinical situations in which cardiocentesis may be employed include pericardial effusion, traumatic perforation or rupture of the myocardium, and effusion secondary to a tumor or thoracic injury.
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