There is a risk of puncturing the heart or the lung with this procedure. Introducing infection into the area is another rare, but potential, risk.
Special considerations:
Other tests may be performed on the pericardial fluid sample.
Review Date: 11/16/2005
Reviewed By: Monica Gandhi, M.D., M.P.H., Assistant Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, UCSF, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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