Key result
In a retrospective review of 10 patients undergoing pericardiocentesis for cardiac tamponade, the most common etiologies were malignancy (40%) and tuberculosis (30%).
Why the study?
Cardiac tamponade is a medical emergency, and this study aimed to determine its etiologies and review its management and outcomes.
What are the etiologies, clinical presentations, and outcomes of patients presenting with cardiac tamponade requiring pericardiocentesis in a Malaysian district hospital?
Observational (n=10)
No
What are the etiologies, clinical presentations, and outcomes of patients presenting with cardiac tamponade requiring pericardiocentesis in a Malaysian district hospital?
Malignancy and tuberculosis are the leading causes of cardiac tamponade in this Malaysian district hospital cohort, with pulsus paradoxus being a highly specific clinical sign.
Small Malaysian series warrants cautious local interpretation; leaves open generalizability of tamponade etiologies pending larger studies.
BACKGROUND: Cardiac tamponade is a medical emergency. This study was carried out to determine the etiologies of cardiac tamponade and review the management and outcomes. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed case records of patients who underwent pericardiocentesis for cardiac tamponade during the two consecutive years (1 January 2018 to 31 December 2019) at Hospital Sultanah Nora Ismail, Batu Pahat, in Johor, Malaysia. RESULTS: There were ten patients (eight males, two females; age range 20 to 70 years old, mean age 36 years old) who underwent pericardiocentesis for cardiac tamponade during the said period. Malignancy (40%), tuberculosis (30%), idiopathic (20%), and bacterial (10%) were among the common causes of the pericardial effusion in this center. The commonest symptoms were breathlessness (90%), chest pain (60%), cough (50%), and unexplained fever (20%). Pulsus paradoxus was the most speciÿ c sign (100%) for the presence of echocardiographic feature of cardiac tamponade. Two of the patients with tuberculous pericarditis had retroviral disease; one patient had bacterial pericarditis due to salmonella typhi. CONCLUSION: This study has conÿ rmed that there are many etiologies and presentation of cardiac tamponade; clinicians should be alert as urgent pericardiocentesis is lifesaving.
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Low et al. (2020) conducted an observational in Cardiac tamponade (n=10). Cardiac tamponade etiologies was evaluated on Etiologies of cardiac tamponade. In a retrospective review of 10 patients undergoing pericardiocentesis for cardiac tamponade, the most common etiologies were malignancy (40%) and tuberculosis (30%).
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