Tamponade

Cardiac tamponade

This should be suspected if there has been a history of blunt or penetrating trauma to the chest wall, or recent cardiac surgery. Diagnosis requires an index of suspicion and an echocardiogram is diagnostic. Treatment is pericardiocentesis.

Fig 1 Cardiac tamponade may be suspected in cardiac/thoracic surgery, but should be considered in the case of blunt or penetrating chest trauma