maryamalmost 6 years ago

Tamponade

Cause of death - cardiac tamponade!!! This is a very large tamponade revealed under the pericardium due to a massive amount of hemorrhage. Cardiac tamponade is the result of an accumulation of fluid, pus, blood, gas, or benign or malignant neoplastic tissue within the pericardial cavity, which can occur either rapidly of gradually over time, but eventually, results in impaired cardiac output. This is to be distinguished from a pericardial effusion, which can be very large but does not necessarily impair cardiac function. Patients have clinical features of Beck’s triad : hypotension, distended neck veins, and muffled heart sounds. These symptoms are due to an exaggerated shift of the interventricular septum toward the left ventricular cavity, which reduces left ventricular preload, stroke volume, and cardiac output. Treatment involves the expedient drainage of the pericardial collection and, where feasible, repair or treatment of the underlying cause. This can be performed percutaneously with either landmark or ultrasound-guided pericardiocentesis, via open sternotomy or increasingly with a balloon pericardiotomy, where fluid is drained out through a long thin tube with a balloon attached. Keep in mind, this is a medical emergency that requires urgent drainage of the accumulated pericardial fluid, and unfortunately some patients run out of luck and never make it to the hospital on time. .