Staphylococcus aureus pericardial abscess in a patient with liver cirrhosis: case report.

Pericardial abscess is a rare complication of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia. We report the case of a 40-year-old man with hepatitis C and liver cirrhosis who presented with high-grade fever and chest pain. Transthoracic echocardiography showed a pericardial mass and computed tomographic scanning and transesophageal echocardiography confirmed the presence of a loculated fluid collection. His illness persisted despite i.v. antibiotics and video-assisted thoracoscopic drainage. The patient was cured after surgical drainage and pericardiectomy.