In-Hospital Mortality Among Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Pericardiocentesis for Pericardial Effusion with and Without Malignancy

<b>Background</b>: Despite the high prevalence of malignant pericardial effusions (MPEs), the differences in mortality between those undergoing pericardiocentesis for MPE versus non-malignancy pericardial effusions (NMPEs) are not well characterized. To address this knowledge gap, we aim to compare clinical outcomes following pericardiocentesis among patients with MPE and NMPE. <b>Methods</b>: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the US National Inpatient Sample (NIS) to identify all hospitalizations during which pericardiocentesis was performed between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2020 (total <i>n</i> = 174,776,205). This cohort was further stratified based on the presence or absence of malignancy. The primary outcome of interest was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included discharge disposition (categorized as non-home discharges), length of stay, and total hospitalization costs. <b>Results</b>: A total of 85,125 patients with pericardial effusions undergoing pericardiocentesis were identified. Patients with an MPE (<i>n</i> = 24,740) were younger and more likely to have a history of malnutrition, prior radiation, palliative care treatments, and do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders compared to those with an NMPE (<i>n</i> = 60,385). Lung cancer was the most common malignancy (40.3%) in patients with an MPE requiring pericardiocentesis. The in-hospital mortality following pericardiocentesis was 11.8% in patients with malignancy and 8.2% in patients without (odds ratio (OR) for mortality 1.50 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.34-1.68, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Lung cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, esophageal cancer, ovarian cancer, and leukemia were associated with a significantly increased risk of death during the same admission. Non-home discharge, length of stay, and total hospitalization cost were marginally greater in those with an MPE. <b>Conclusions</b>: In patients undergoing pericardiocentesis, those with an MPE had significantly higher in-hospital mortality compared to those with an NMPE. Additionally, the MPE group had a marginally longer length of stay and incurred higher total hospital costs. Further research is warranted to explore optimal treatment strategies for MPEs, particularly in patients with a limited life expectancy.