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Cardiac tamponade, also known as pericardial tamponade (/ ˌ t æ m. p ə ˈ n eɪ d / [4]), is a compression of the heart due to pericardial effusion (the build-up of pericardial fluid in the sac around the heart). [2] Onset may be rapid or gradual. [2]
Pericardial effusions can be found in all populations worldwide but the predominant etiology has changed over time, varying depending on the age, location, and comorbidities of the population in question. [2] Out of all the numerous causes of pericardial effusion, some of the leading causes are inflammatory, infectious, neoplastic and traumatic.
In medical fields, especially cytopathology, serous fluid is a synonym for effusion fluids from various body cavities. Examples of effusion fluid are pleural effusion and pericardial effusion. There are many causes of effusions which include involvement of the cavity by cancer. Cancer in a serous cavity is called a serous carcinoma.
A pericardial effusion is fluid in the pericardial sac. When large enough, the pressure compresses the heart. This causes shock by preventing the heart from filling with blood. This is called cardiac tamponade. The chambers of the heart can collapse from this pressure. The right heart has thinner walls and collapses more easily.
The most common causes of cardiomegaly are congenital (patients are born with the condition based on a genetic inheritance), high blood pressure (which can enlarge the left ventricle causing the heart muscle to weaken over time), and coronary artery disease. In the latter case, the disease creates blockages in the heart's blood supply, leading ...
It is clinically similar to a pericardial effusion, and, depending on the volume and rapidity with which it develops, may cause cardiac tamponade. [1] The condition can be caused by full-thickness necrosis (death) of the myocardium (heart muscle) after myocardial infarction, chest trauma, [2] and by over-prescription of anticoagulants.
Pericardial window may be used to treat pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade. [2] [3] It is the most common procedure to treat pericardial effusion, particularly if caused by cancer. [4] Untreated, these can lead to death.
Pericardiocentesis is a procedure whereby the fluid in a pericardial effusion is removed through a needle. It is performed under the following conditions: [15] presence of moderate or severe cardiac tamponade; diagnostic purpose for suspected purulent, tuberculosis, or neoplastic pericarditis; persistent symptomatic pericardial effusion