Cardiac tamponade Cardiac tamponade is a clinical diagnosis with key physical (elevated venous pressure, pulsus paradoxus, hypotension) and echocardiographic (chamber collapses, abnormal venous flows, exaggerated respiratory variation in venous and cardiac flows, and vena caval plethora) findings. Echocardiographic findings suggestive of pericardial tamponade include: inferior vena cava (IVC) plethora, diastolic blunting of hepatic vein forward flow, respiratory inflow variation across the trisc

The treatment for pericardial tamponade is a heroic procedure called a pericardiocentesis, during which, a needle is placed through the pericardial sac and the fluid is drained. This relieves pressure on the outer walls of the heart, increases cardiac filling, and improves cardiac output. According to my favorite medical search engine, @open.evidence , surgery (pericardotomy or pericardial window) is indicated “for tamponade due to aortic dissection, trauma, ongoing bleeding, or when percutaneou