Cardiac tamponade complicating central venous catheters is usually fatal. We present a 23 year old woman who developed cardiac tamponade 12 hours after the insertion of a subclavian line. Early recognition of this complication and urgent pericardiocentesis led to her survival.

BACKGROUND Cardiac tamponade is associated with fatal outcomes for patients with acute type A aortic dissection, and the presence of cardiac tamponade should prompt urgent aortic repair. However, treatment of the patient with critical cardiac tamponade who cannot survive until surgery remains unclear. We analyzed our experience of controlled pericardial drainage (CPD) managing critical cardiac ...

Atrial distension, rather than change in intra-atrial pressure, has been suggested as a principal mediator of release of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF). During cardiac tamponade, atrial pressures rise whereas transmural pressures and atrial stretch may not be affected. The roles of atrial pressure and atrial distension were investigated in six open-chest dogs subjected to cardiac tamponade and...

Cardiac manifestations of hypothyroidism are pericardial effusion, increased left ventricular dimension with left ventricular dysfunction, wall motion abnormality, asymmetric septal hypertrophy and mitral valve prolapse. Pericardial effusion occurs in 30-37% of cases and is mild to moderate but is occasionally large and cardiac tamponade is rare. We describe a case of hypothyroidism secondary t...

We present one of the last cases from the British Military Hospital in Hong Kong. A 30 year old woman with pericardial tuberculosis and tamponade is described.

TOPIC: Signs and Symptoms of Chest Diseases TYPE: Medical Student/Resident Case Reports INTRODUCTION: Pioglitazone affecting the heart is a common occurrence in patients with underlying disease. However, it rare commodity no documented condition. We report case patient cardiac tamponade after pioglitazone use. Hence, early recognition discontinuation offending medication are crucial. CASE PRESE...

Pneumopericardium is rare in acute asthma and cardiac tamponade has not been reported. The case is reported of a 20 year old asthmatic patient in whom assisted ventilation and high airway pressures resulted in tension pneumopericardium with clinical signs of cardiac tamponade that were relieved by pericardial aspiration.