Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T12:24:16.575Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Atraumatic hemopericardium in a patient receiving warfarin therapy for a pulmonary embolus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 May 2015

Peter G. Katis
Peter G. Katis*
Affiliation:
Emergency Medicine, University Health Network, Toronto, Ont., Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto
*
Toronto General Hospital, R Fraser Elliot Building, GS-434, 200 Elizabeth St., Toronto ON M5G 2C4; 416 340-3856, fax 416 340-4300, [email protected]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Acute pericardial tamponade is a potentially life-threatening condition that requires immediate treatment. This report describes a patient who presented to the emergency department with an acute hemopericardium and echocardiographic evidence of cardiac tamponade following the initiation of warfarin therapy for a recently diagnosed pulmonary embolism. The association between cardiac tamponade, oral anticoagulation and pulmonary thromboembolic disease is briefly discussed.

Keywords

cardiac tamponadeoral anticoagulantspulmonary embolismhemopericardium
Type
Case Report • Observations de cas
Information
Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine , Volume 7 , Issue 3 , May 2005 , pp. 168 - 170
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians 2005

References

1.Eckstein, M, Henderson, S, Markovchick, V. Thorax. In: Marx, JA, Hockberger, RS, Walls, RM, editors. Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: concepts and clinical practice, 5th ed. St. Louis: Mosby; 2002. p. 381–414.Google Scholar
2.Niemann, JT. The cardiomyopathies, myocarditis, and pericardial disease. In: Tintinalli, JE, Kelen, GD, Sapsczynski, JS, editors. Emergency medicine: a comprehensive study guide, 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2004. p. 378–86.Google Scholar
3.Mangi, AA, Palacios, IF, Torchiana, DF. Catheter pericardiocentesis for delayed tamponade after cardiac valve operation. Ann Thorac Surg 2002;73(5):1479–83.Google Scholar
4.Malouf, JF, Alam, S, Gharzeddine, W, Stefadouros, MA. The role of anticoagulation in the development of pericardial effusion and late tamponade after cardiac surgery [published erratum appears in Eur Heart J 1994;15(4):583-4]. Eur Heart J 1993; 14(11):1451–7.Google Scholar
5.Lee, KS, Marwick, T. Hemopericardium and cardiac tamponade associated with warfarin therapy. Cleve Clin J Med 1993;60(4):336–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6.Nguyen, Ba V, Debien, B, Villevieille, T, Quiniou, G, Pollet, L, Lenoir, B, et al.[Pulmonary embolism to the rescue in cardiac tamponade.] Ann Fr Anesth Reanim 2003;22(10):896–9.Google Scholar
7.Jairath, UC, Benotti, JR, Spodick, DH. Cardiac tamponade masking pulmonary embolism [review]. Clin Cardiol 2001;24(6):485–6.Google Scholar
8.Giles, PJ, D’Cruz, IA, Killam, HA. Tamponade due to hemopericardium after streptokinase therapy for pulmonary embolism. South Med J 1988;81(7):912–4.Google Scholar