We discussed a case about a middle aged woman with subacute-chronic SOB, fatigue, pleuritic CP, and productive cough, found to have a large pericardial effusion with features of cardiac tamponade. We learned about various features of cardiac tamponade:

•  Exam: Beck’s triad, pulsus paradoxus
• EKG: low voltage QRS, tachycardia, electrical alternans
• TTE / POCUS
  • Cardiac chamber collapse
  • Dilated IVC
  • Reciprocal respiratory variations in ventricular volumes
    
• Pericardial vs pleural effusion on POCUS peristernal long axis (PLAX)
  • Pericardial: fluid ANTERIOR to the descending aorta
  • Pleural: fluid POSTERIOR to the descending aorta