Left Ventricular Tamponade - A Clinical Chameleon

Introduction

Cardiac tamponade, a potentially lethal complication following cardiac surgery, may present either early or late postoperatively and may be difficult to diagnose due to atypical clinical, hemodynamic or echocardiographic findings. The incidence of late postoperative cardiac tamponades varies in different studies from 0.2 % to 1.9 % [[1], [2], [3], [4]]. Presenting symptoms of late cardiac tamponade are most often mild and include classic signs such as hypotension, pulsus paradoxus, and elevated jugular venous pressures [[5]]. However, an isolated left ventricular tamponade leading to cardiogenic shock without classic clinical signs is a very rare entity.

References

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