Delayed presentation of pericardial tamponade following blunt chest trauma

Eldon Matthia; Ellery Altshuler; Dhaval K Naik

doi:10.1136/bcr-2020-240317

Delayed presentation of pericardial tamponade following blunt chest trauma

BMJ Case Rep. 2021 Mar 10;14(3):e240317. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2020-240317.

Authors

Eldon Matthia¹, Ellery Altshuler², Dhaval K Naik³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
² Department of Internal Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA ElleryAltshuler@gmail.com.
³ Department of Cardiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA.

Abstract

We present a case of delayed-onset pericardial tamponade nine weeks after a blunt chest trauma. The patient is a 77-year-old man who presented with shortness of breath nine weeks after fracturing his sternum in a head-on motor vehicle collision. CT and echocardiography revealed a massive pericardial effusion prompting pericardiocentesis. Eight hundred millilitres (mL) of fluid were drained, which rapidly improved his symptoms. This is the longest reported interval between the development of tamponade and a blunt chest trauma. Our case illustrates the importance of maintaining a clinical suspicion for effusion and tamponade even weeks after non-penetrating chest wall injuries.

Keywords: cardiovascular medicine; interventional cardiology; pericardial disease.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Aged
Cardiac Tamponade* / diagnostic imaging
Cardiac Tamponade* / etiology
Humans
Male
Pericardial Effusion* / diagnostic imaging
Pericardial Effusion* / etiology
Pericardiocentesis
Thoracic Injuries* / complications
Wounds, Nonpenetrating* / complications