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First Steps in the Management of Pericardial Effusion: Who Was First to Relieve the Pericardial Sac—Larrey or Romero?

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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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Acknowledgments

The authors are indebted for the extraordinary help of Veronika Martos, University Medical Library Pecs, Hungary, International Loans Division.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General and Thoracic Surgery, Semmelweis Teaching Hospital, Miskolc, Hungary

    Imre Tóth

  2. Thoracic Surgery Service, Hospital Universitari Mutua Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain

    Ramon Rami-Porta

  3. Medical Humanities Division, Department of Tactical Medicine, University of Pécs, Pecs, Hungary

    Szilárd Rendeki

  4. Department of Thoracic Surgery, Petz Aladár University Teaching Hospital, Gyor, Hungary

    Tamás F. Molnár

Authors
  1. Imre Tóth
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  2. Ramon Rami-Porta
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  3. Szilárd Rendeki
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  4. Tamás F. Molnár
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Imre Tóth.

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Tóth, I., Rami-Porta, R., Rendeki, S. et al. First Steps in the Management of Pericardial Effusion: Who Was First to Relieve the Pericardial Sac—Larrey or Romero?. World J Surg 37, 2242–2245 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00268-013-2115-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00268-013-2115-5

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