cardiac tamponade

Học thuật
Thân thiện
Definition

Noun: A serious medical condition where the heart is compressed due to a buildup of fluid or blood in the pericardial sac (the space around the heart). This compression prevents the heart chambers from filling properly with blood, severely reducing the heart's ability to pump blood to the body.

Usage

This term is used exclusively in medical contexts to describe a specific, life-threatening emergency. * The patient's low blood pressure and distended neck veins are classic signs of cardiac tamponade. * Emergency pericardiocentesis is the definitive treatment for cardiac tamponade.

Advanced Usage
  • Beck's triad: A classic set of three clinical signs associated with cardiac tamponade: low blood pressure, distended neck veins, and muffled heart sounds.
    • The physician suspected cardiac tamponade upon observing Beck's triad.
  • Pulsus paradoxus: A clinical finding where the systolic blood pressure drops abnormally during inhalation, often present in cardiac tamponade.
    • The presence of a significant pulsus paradoxus supported the diagnosis of cardiac tamponade.
Variants and Related Words
  • Tamponade (noun): Can refer more generally to the compression of any organ or vessel by fluid or blood (e.g., "pulmonary tamponade"), but is most commonly used in the context of the heart.
  • Pericardial effusion (noun): The accumulation of excess fluid in the pericardial sac. A large or rapidly developing pericardial effusion can cardiac tamponade.
  • Pericardiocentesis (noun): The medical procedure to drain fluid from the pericardial sac, which is both a diagnostic and therapeutic intervention for cardiac tamponade.
Synonyms
  • Pericardial tamponade (noun): A less common but synonymous term.
  • Heart tamponade (noun): A more informal synonym.
Related Phrases
  • To develop/lead to/cause cardiac tamponade: Describes the progression to this condition.
    • The traumatic injury caused bleeding that led to cardiac tamponade.
  • To be in cardiac tamponade: Describes the patient's critical state.
    • The post-operative patient was in cardiac tamponade and required immediate intervention.
Noun
  1. mechanical compression of the heart resulting from large amounts of fluid collecting in the pericardial space and limiting the heart's normal range of motion