What does the pericardial cavity contain?
The pericardial cavity contains the heart, the muscular pump that drives the blood around the cardiovascular system.
Where is pericardium located?
heart
The pericardium is a thin sac that surrounds your heart. It protects and lubricates your heart and keeps it in place within your chest.
How does pericardial fluid drain?
During pericardiocentesis, a doctor inserts a needle through the chest wall and into the tissue around the heart. Once the needle is inside the pericardium, the doctor inserts a long, thin tube called a catheter. The doctor uses the catheter to drain excess fluid.
Where does pericardial fluid drain into?
Arterial branches from thoracic aorta, right and left pericardiophrenic artery (internal mammary artery branches), are responsible for the blood supply of the whole pericardium while the venous drainage is accomplished through the venae pericardiales which drain to the azygos vein, to the superior vena cava or to the …
What is the role of pericardial fluid?
The pericardial fluid lubricates the two membranes with every beat of the heart as their surfaces glide over each other.
Is pericardial fluid normal?
Normally, there is a small amount of fluid between them. The fluid reduces friction between the two layers as they rub against each other during each heartbeat. In some cases, extra fluid can build up between these two layers leading to a pericardial effusion. A little fluid won’t cause much of a problem.
Does the pericardium have lymphatic drainage?
The lymphatics draining the lateral parts of pericardium pass to the anterior mediastinal, tracheobronchial, lateropericardial, prepericardial and posterior mediastinal (juxtaesophageal) lymph nodes. The posterior part of the pericardium drains to the juxtaesophageal and tracheobronchial nodes.
Does pericardial fluid circulate?
The pericardial capillaries stem from the systematic circulation. The venous drainage is accomplished through the superior vena cava (high pressure system).
What type of fluid is pericardial fluid?
Pericardial fluid is the serous fluid secreted by the serous layer of the pericardium into the pericardial cavity. The pericardium consists of two layers, an outer fibrous layer and the inner serous layer.
Is fluid around the heart life-threatening?
Most times, it’s small and causes no serious problems. If it’s large, it can compress your heart and hamper its ability to pump blood. This condition, called cardiac tamponade, is potentially life-threatening. To find the cause of a pericardial effusion, your doctor may take a sample of the pericardial fluid.