First steps in the management of pericardial effusion: who was first to relieve the pericardial sac--Larrey or Romero?

Tóth, Imre; Rami-Porta, Ramon; Rendeki, Szilárd; Molnár, Tamás F · World J Surg · 2013

Level V

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Abstract

Early reports told us that the first pericardiotomy was performed by Baron Dominique Jean Larrey, Napoleon's chief military surgeon. In this article, we reveal a previous operation of that kind and its publication by Francisco Romero, who had a 9-year head start over Larrey's performance. The aim of this article was to briefly review the two-century-old history of pericardial fenestration.

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