Beck's triad: muffled heart sounds, jugular vein distension, and electrical alternans.
This patient has cardiac tamponade. The fluid has to be removed.
A pericardial window is a cardiac surgical procedure to create a window from the pericardial space to the pleural cavity. The purpose of the window is to allow a pericardial effusion (usually malignant) to drain from the space surrounding the heart into the chest cavity.
Middle-aged patient with a history of metastatic breast cancer who presents with triad of hypotension, jugular venous distention and distant heart sounds who also has electrical alternans and pericardial effusion, all consistent with a diagnosis of pericardial tamponade often secondary to breast cancer metastasis to the pericardium
Key idea: Although cardiac tamponade is often confirmed with an echocardiogram, if your index of suspicion is high you would proceed directly to therapeutic pericardial window due to significant morbidity/mortality associated with condition
submitted by โbuttercup(18)
Beck's triad: muffled heart sounds, jugular vein distension, and electrical alternans. This patient has cardiac tamponade. The fluid has to be removed.
A pericardial window is a cardiac surgical procedure to create a window from the pericardial space to the pleural cavity. The purpose of the window is to allow a pericardial effusion (usually malignant) to drain from the space surrounding the heart into the chest cavity.