Template:Short description Template:Infobox medical condition (new) Cardiac tamponade, also known as pericardial tamponade (Template:IPAc-en<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>), is a compression of the heart due to pericardial effusion (the build-up of pericardial fluid in the sac around the heart).<ref name=Ri2014>Template:Cite journal</ref> Onset may be rapid or gradual.<ref name=Ri2014/> Symptoms typically include those of obstructive shock including shortness of breath, weakness, lightheadedness, and cough.<ref name=Spod2003/> Other symptoms may relate to the underlying cause.<ref name=Spod2003/>
Common causes of cardiac tamponade include cancer, kidney failure, chest trauma, myocardial infarction, and pericarditis.<ref name=Ri2014/><ref name=Mer2020>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Other causes include connective tissues diseases, hypothyroidism, aortic rupture, autoimmune disease, and complications of cardiac surgery.<ref name=Ri2014/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In Africa, tuberculosis is a relatively common cause.<ref name=Spod2003>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Diagnosis may be suspected based on low blood pressure, jugular venous distension, or quiet heart sounds (together known as Beck's triad).<ref name=Ri2014/><ref name=Spod2003/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> A pericardial rub may be present in cases due to inflammation.<ref name=Ri2014/> The diagnosis may be further supported by specific electrocardiogram (ECG) changes, chest X-ray, or an ultrasound of the heart.<ref name=Ri2014/> If fluid increases slowly the pericardial sac can expand to contain more than 2 liters; however, if the increase is rapid, as little as 200 mL can result in tamponade.<ref name=Ri2014/>
Tamponade is a medical emergency.<ref name=Mer2020/> When it results in symptoms, drainage is necessary.<ref name=Sa2011/> This can be done by pericardiocentesis, surgery to create a pericardial window, or a pericardiectomy.<ref name=Ri2014/> Drainage may also be necessary to rule out infection or cancer.<ref name=Sa2011>Template:Cite journal</ref> Other treatments may include the use of dobutamine or in those with low blood volume, intravenous fluids.<ref name=Spod2003/> Those with few symptoms and no worrisome features can often be closely followed.<ref name=Ri2014/> The frequency of tamponade is unclear.<ref name=Bod2011>Template:Cite journal</ref> One estimate from the United States places it at 2 per 10,000 per year.<ref name=Kah2008>Template:Cite book</ref>
Signs and symptomsEdit
Onset may be rapid (acute) or more gradual (subacute).<ref name=":0">Template:Citation</ref><ref name=Ri2014/> Signs of cardiac tamponade typically include those of cardiogenic shock including shortness of breath, weakness, lightheadedness, cough<ref name=Spod2003/> and those of Beck's triad e.g. jugular vein distention, quiet heart sounds and hypotension. Other symptoms may relate to the underlying cause.<ref name=Spod2003/>
Other general signs of shock (such as fast heart rate, shortness of breath and decreasing level of consciousness) may also occur. However, some of these signs may not be present in certain cases. A fast heart rate, although expected, may be absent in people with uremia and hypothyroidism.<ref name="Spod2003" />
According to Reddy and co-authors, cardiac tamponade and its progression can be described in 3 different phases.<ref name=":2">Reddy PS, Curtiss EI, Uretsky BF. Spectrum of hemodynamic changes in cardiac tamponade. Am J Cardiol. 1990 Dec 15;66(20):1487-91. {{#invoke:doi|main}}. Template:PMID.</ref> In phase I, the required filling pressure increases due to the high stiffness of the ventricles. This is because of the accumulation of pericardial fluid in the pericardial cavity. During phase II, the pericardial pressure exceeds the ventricular filling pressure caused by the further accumulation of pericardial fluid. This results in a decrease in cardiac input and output. A further decrease of cardiac input and output is typical in phase III of the progression of cardiac tamponade. This is caused by the equilibration of left ventricular filling and pericardial pressure, leading to “severe deterioration of end-organ perfusion.”<ref name=":2" /> Some of the symptoms, as a consequence, include abdominal pain due to liver engorgement.
CausesEdit
Cardiac tamponade is caused by a large or uncontrolled pericardial effusion, i.e. the buildup of fluid inside the pericardium.<ref name=Mattson>Template:Cite book</ref> This commonly occurs as a result of chest trauma (both blunt and penetrating),<ref name=Gwinnutt>Template:Cite book</ref> but can also be caused by myocardial infarction, myocardial rupture, cancer (most often Hodgkin lymphoma), uremia, pericarditis, or cardiac surgery,<ref name=Mattson/> and rarely occurs during retrograde aortic dissection,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> or while the person is taking anticoagulant therapy.<ref name=Longmore>Template:Cite book</ref> The effusion can occur rapidly (as in the case of trauma or myocardial rupture), or over a more gradual period of time (as in cancer). The fluid involved is often blood, but pus is also found in some circumstances.<ref name=Mattson/>
SurgeryEdit
One of the most common settings for cardiac tamponade is in the first 7 days after heart surgery.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> After heart surgery, chest tubes are placed to drain blood. These chest tubes, however, are prone to clot formation. When a chest tube becomes occluded or clogged, the blood that should be drained can accumulate around the heart, leading to tamponade.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
PathophysiologyEdit
The pericardium, the double-walled sac surrounding the heart, consists of a fibrous pericardium layer on the outside and a double-layered serous pericardium on the inside.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Between the two layers of the serous pericardium is the pericardial space, which is filled with lubricating serous fluid that prevents friction as the heart contracts.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The outer layer of the heart is made of fibrous tissue<ref name=Thibodeau>Template:Cite book</ref> which does not easily stretch, so once excess fluid begins to enter the pericardial space, pressure starts to increase.<ref name=Mattson/> Consequently, the heart becomes compressed due to its inability to fully relax.<ref name=":1">Template:Citation</ref>
If fluid continues to accumulate, each successive diastolic period leads to less blood entering the ventricles. Eventually, increasing pressure on the heart forces the septum to bend in towards the left ventricle, leading to a decrease in stroke volume.<ref name=Mattson/> This causes the development of obstructive shock, which if left untreated may lead to cardiac arrest (often presenting as pulseless electrical activity).<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The decrease in stroke volume can also ultimately lead to a decrease in cardiac output, which could be signaled by tachycardia and hypotension.<ref name=":1" />
DiagnosisEdit
The three classic signs, known as Beck's triad, are low blood pressure, jugular-venous distension, and muffled heart sounds.<ref name="Dolan">Template:Cite book</ref> Other signs may include pulsus paradoxus (a drop of at least 10 mmHg in arterial blood pressure with inspiration),<ref name="Mattson" /> and ST segment changes on the electrocardiogram,<ref name="Dolan" /> which may also show low voltage QRS complexes.<ref name="Longmore" />
Medical imagingEdit
Tamponade can often be diagnosed radiographically. Echocardiography, which is the diagnostic test of choice, often demonstrates an enlarged pericardium or collapsed ventricles. A large cardiac tamponade will show as an enlarged globular-shaped heart on chest x-ray. During inspiration, the negative pressure in the thoracic cavity will cause increased pressure into the right ventricle. This increased pressure in the right ventricle will cause the interventricular septum to bulge towards the left ventricle, leading to decreased filling of the left ventricle. At the same time, right ventricle volume is markedly diminished and sometimes it can collapse.<ref name=Longmore/>
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Differential diagnosisEdit
Initial diagnosis of cardiac tamponade can be challenging, as there is a broad differential diagnosis.<ref name=":0" /> The differential includes possible diagnoses based on symptoms, time course, mechanism of injury, patient history. Rapid onset cardiac tamponade may also appear similar to pleural effusions, obstructive shock, shock, pulmonary embolism, and tension pneumothorax.<ref name=Gwinnutt/><ref name=":0" />
If symptoms appeared more gradually, the differential diagnosis includes acute heart failure.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
In a person with trauma presenting with pulseless electrical activity in the absence of hypovolemia and tension pneumothorax, the most likely diagnosis is cardiac tamponade.<ref name="ACS">American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (2007). Advanced Trauma Life Support for Doctors, 7th Edition. Chicago: American College of Surgeons</ref>
In addition to the diagnostic complications afforded by the wide-ranging differential diagnosis for chest pain, diagnosis can be additionally complicated by the fact that people will often be weak or faint at presentation. For instance, a fast rate of breathing and difficulty breathing on exertion that progresses to air hunger at rest can be a key diagnostic symptom, but it may not be possible to obtain such information from people who are unconscious or who have convulsions at presentation.<ref name=Spod2003 />
TreatmentEdit
Pre-hospital careEdit
Initial treatment given will usually be supportive in nature, for example administration of oxygen, and monitoring. There is little care that can be provided pre-hospital other than general treatment for shock. Some teams have performed an emergency thoracotomy to release clotting in the pericardium caused by a penetrating chest injury.Template:Citation needed
Prompt diagnosis and treatment is the key to survival with tamponade. Some pre-hospital providers will have facilities to provide pericardiocentesis, which can be life-saving. If the person has already suffered a cardiac arrest, pericardiocentesis alone cannot ensure survival, and so rapid evacuation to a hospital is usually the more appropriate course of action.Template:Citation needed
Hospital managementEdit
Initial management in hospital is by pericardiocentesis.<ref name=Gwinnutt/> This involves the insertion of a needle through the skin and into the pericardium and aspirating fluid under ultrasound guidance preferably. This can be done laterally through the intercostal spaces, usually the fifth, or as a subxiphoid approach.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A left parasternal approach begins 3 to 5 cm left of the sternum to avoid the left internal mammary artery, in the 5th intercostal space.<ref>Synovitz C.K., Brown E.J. (2011). Chapter 37. Pericardiocentesis. In Tintinalli J.E., Stapczynski J, Ma O, Cline D.M., Cydulka R.K., Meckler G.D., T (Eds), Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide, 7e. Retrieved September 19, 2014 from Template:Cite book</ref> Often, a cannula is left in place during resuscitation following initial drainage so that the procedure can be performed again if the need arises. If facilities are available, an emergency pericardial window may be performed instead,<ref name=Gwinnutt/> during which the pericardium is cut open to allow fluid to drain. Following stabilization of the person, surgery is provided to seal the source of the bleed and mend the pericardium.Template:Citation needed
Following heart surgery, the amount of chest tube drainage is monitored. If the drainage volume drops off, and the blood pressure goes down, this can suggest a tamponade due to chest tube clogging. In that case, the person is taken back to the operating room for an emergency reoperation.Template:Citation needed
If aggressive treatment is offered immediately and no complications arise (shock, AMI or arrhythmia, heart failure, aneurysm, carditis, embolism, or rupture), or they are dealt with quickly and fully contained, then adequate survival is still a distinct possibility.Template:Citation needed
EpidemiologyEdit
The frequency of tamponade is unclear.<ref name=Bod2011/> One estimate from the United States places it at 2 per 10,000 per year.<ref name=Kah2008/> It is estimated to occur in 2% of those with stab or gunshot wounds to the chest.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
Template:Medical resources Template:Circulatory system pathology Template:Chest trauma Template:Trauma