Anatom3DPericardial effusion & tamponade
Effusio pericardii et tamponada cordis · Perikardiální výpotek a tamponáda
What it is
Fluid in the heart sac; enough of it stops the heart filling.
Symptoms & signs
- Breathlessness
- chest pressure
- distended neck veins
- low blood pressure
- muffled heart sounds
- pulsus paradoxus
🚩 Get help if…
- call 112 / 911 now Breathless at rest, or faint, dizzy or clammy
- call 112 / 911 now Chest pain with a fast weak pulse or low blood pressure
- see a doctor soon Breathlessness lying flat that gets worse over days
- see a doctor soon Swollen neck veins or swelling of legs and belly
Where it strikes
Medical treatment
- Urgent echocardiogram
- pericardiocentesis for tamponade
- treat the cause
- pericardial window for recurrence
Natural & lifestyle
- None acutely — this is an emergency; afterwards, follow-up echoes
Emerging & experimental
- Echo-guided drainage protocols
- anakinra for recurrent inflammatory effusions
Alternative, off-label & anecdotal
Approaches used outside the guidelines, with what their supporters report and what testing has found so far.
- Herbal diuretics — cannot drain an effusion; tamponade needs a needle anecdotal / traditional
- Anti-inflammatory diet after pericarditis — untested anecdotal / traditional
ICD codes
- ICD-10 I31.3
- ICD-11 BB25 Pericardial effusion