Pericardiocentesis, also called a pericardial tap, is a procedure in which a needle and catheter remove fluid from the pericardium, the sac around your heart. The fluid is tested for signs of ...

The specter of having fluids accumulating around the heart is one that has occupied the attention of many doctors for centuries. In the past, mainly due to a lack of the proper tools to deal with this ...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) _ The first human recipient of a self-contained artificial heart went back to surgery to drain fluid from his chest, his doctors said. University of Louisville surgeons Laman Gray ...

The pericardium surrounds and protects the heart. When it becomes injured or infected, fluid can build up between its layers. Pericardial effusion, as the condition is called, strains the heart’s ...

PARIS — Two experimental, fully implantable systems under development are designed to address the problem of pathologic fluid overload in heart failure, a major cause of heart failure–related deaths. ...

Cancer cells can inflame the lung lining (pleura) or abdominal lining (peritoneum). This can cause fluid to build up. The fluid might contain cancer cells. Fluid around the lungs is called a pleural ...