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CC BY 4.0 · Aorta (Stamford) 2021; 09(03): 116-117
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1729912
Images in Aortic Disease

A High-Echoic Layer Surrounding the Heart Suggesting Cardiac Tamponade by Clotting

Ikuto Takeuchi
1   Department of Acute Critical Care Medicine, Juntendo Shizuoka Hospital, Izunokuni City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
,
Jun Shitara
1   Department of Acute Critical Care Medicine, Juntendo Shizuoka Hospital, Izunokuni City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
,
Youichi Yanagawa 
1   Department of Acute Critical Care Medicine, Juntendo Shizuoka Hospital, Izunokuni City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
› Author Affiliations Funding This work was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Special Research in Subsidies for ordinary expenses of private schools from The Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan ( http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100012359 ).
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Abstract

A 16-year-old boy experienced a sudden loss of consciousness. On arrival, he was in cardiac arrest. An ultrasound study revealed a high-echoic layer surrounding the heart. He received a diagnosis of clotting cardiac tamponade. Urgent thoracotomy with pericardiotomy was performed, but he failed to obtain return of spontaneous circulation. Physicians should focus on not only low-echoic but also high-echoic areas to accurately diagnose clotting, which can result in a critical condition if not managed properly.

Keywords

aortic dissection - tamponade - Loeys–Dietz syndrome


Publication History

Received: 02 April 2020

Accepted: 25 February 2021

Article published online:
12 October 2021

© 2021. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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