A 46-yr-old female Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelli) was first diagnosed with pericardial effusion in July 2006. Pericardiocentesis performed in January 2007 only provided short-term relief. In May 2007, a pericardial-peritoneal window was created using a transabdominal subxiphoid pericardiostomy technique, providing immediate and long-term relief. Seven months later, the orangutan was euthanized due to worsening heart failure, and no pericardial effusion was present. Transabdominal subxiphoid pericardiostomy offers a straightforward surgical approach that can provide significant relief in cases of chronic pericardial effusion in great apes.
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1 September 2009
Successful Transabdominal Subxiphoid Pericardiostomy to Relieve Chronic Pericardial Effusion in a Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelli)
P. K. Robbins,
Geoffrey W. Pye,
Meg Sutherland-Smith,
Rebecca Papendick,
Mark Greenberg,
Denis Levy,
Michael Madani
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Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine
Vol. 40 • No. 3
September 2009
Vol. 40 • No. 3
September 2009
orangutan
pericardial effusion
Pongo abelli
subxiphoid pericardiostomy