The purpose of this study was to determine if respiratory variation and/or absolute size of echocardiographically measured right or left ventricular internal dimension at end-diastole (RVIDd or LIVIDd) are accurate indicators of the presence or severity of cardiac tamponade. We measured RVIDd or LVIDd by echocardiography in nine closed-chest, spontaneously breathing dogs in control and during h...

Post-operative cardiac tamponade is a surgical enmergency. The outcome depends on early diagnosis. The clinical picture of tamponade due to inflammatory pericardial effusion has been described by Stewart, Crane, and Deitrick (1938), Besterman and Thomas (1953), and Burch and Phillips (1962). Rapid accumulation of fluid or clot in the pericardium, as in post-operative tamponade, produces its own...