The Myth of an Afterlife: The Case against Life After Death edited by Michael Martin and Keith Augustine, Rowman & Littlefield, 2015. ISBN 978-0-8108-8677-3. A Traveler's Guide to the Afterlife: Traditions and Beliefs on Death, Dying, and What Lies Beyond by Mark Mirabello, Ph.D. Inner Traditions.
In 1956, Proudfit and Effler 1 reported a simple method of performing pericardial biopsy which provides adequate amounts of tissue for bacteriologic and histologic study. Safe and effective pericardial drainage can be accomplished by the same procedure.
Pericardiocentesis, also called a pericardial tap, is an invasive procedure in which a needle and catheter remove fluid from the sac around the heart. The fluid is tested for signs of infection, inflammation, presence of blood, and cancer. Occasionally, pericardiocentesis is performed on an emergency basis to treat a condition called cardiac tamponade, a life-threatening, rapid buildup of fluid around the heart that weakens its pumping ability. The procedure relieves pressure on the heart.