injuries and poisoning
Cardiac Tamponade
Introduction
Cardiac tamponade is pressure on the heart by blood or fluid that accumulates in the two-layered sac around the heart (pericardium). This disorder interferes with the heart's ability to pump blood. People typically feel light-headed and short of breath, and they may faint. The diagnosis is based on symptoms, examination results, and usually ultrasonography of the heart (echocardiography) done in the emergency department. Blood is drained from around the heart using a needle and sometimes surgery. (See also Introduction to Chest Injuries .) In cardiac tamponade, fluid or blood accumulates between the two layers of the pericardium, which then tightly squeezes the heart. This pressure can prevent the heart from filling with blood. As a result, less blood is pumped to the body, sometimes causing Shock (with blood pressure becoming dangerously low) and death. The most common causes are rupture of an Overview of Aortic Aneurysms and Aortic Dissection (a bulge in the wall of the aorta), advanced Chest injuries can also cause cardiac tamponade. The most common such injuries are stab wounds. Blunt Injury to the Heart that tear the wall of the heart can cause tamponade, but many people with such injuries die before they can be brought for medical treatment. 