Dear Doctor,                     My Mother is aged 70 Yrs. Water has got collected in heart which is difficult to remove. In chest also there was some water which was removed once however Doctor says that the water from the heart cannot be removed as the needle cannot reach there easily. Mother does not have any pain as such, apetite is good. Doctor has prescribed medicine and told to continue for few months as it is going to help in drying the water. Please advise for further treatment.
Hi, Collection of fluid around the heart (pericardial effusion) can be because of lots of causes like infection, TB, malignancy, connective tissue disorders. If it is mild and is not causing problems like breathing difficult we manage it conservatively that is by medicines aiming at treating of course. If it is more in amount and is causing breathing difficulty, we remove it by putting a needle (pericardiocentesis) and Chat Doctor.  If needle could not go there & fluid is essential to be removed, we can remove it by surgery (making a cardiac window). If your doctor has advised for medical treatment, the fluid must be less, and they must be treating the cause. So wait and repeat echo as per your doctor to see if what is the change in fluid amount. Hope I have answered your query. If you have any further query, I'll be happy to help.