pericardial effusion/color of drained fluid?

Question

Why would the color of the liquid drained be green. Had surgery today and liquid was drained was green(ish) and there was approx 1 liter of fluid..

Answer 1

Well, first off, a pericardial effusion of one liter is very large, it must have accumulated over a long period of time (since the capacity of the pericardium is only about 50-100ml in normal people, though it can expand if filled slowly).
Secondly, the effusions are typically amber or straw colored, sometimes bloody. I would have to actually see the fluid collected to guess, however, it may be the case that it was infected (though anyone with a liter of pirulent fluid in their pericardium would be VERY sick indeed, so that's less likely), if the fluid was clear with just a tint of green that may be fairly normal. The only fluid in the body that is naturally green is bile, which is found in the liver, biliary system, and intestines, there's not much route for it to get into the pericardium, and I have never heard of that happening.
So, I'm not exactly sure, but the best person to ask is your doctor (or surgeon, whoever is handling the case) they certainly sent the fluid for analysis if there was anything about it that puzzled them.

Answer 2

http://www.bioline.org.br/request?gm06006