P242 When there is no time for further imaging

Abstract

Introduction Cardiac tamponade (CT) is a clinical syndrome characterized by hemodynamic abnormalities resulting from an increase in pericardial pressure due to accumulation of fluid. Tamponade is one of the cardiac emergencies where urgent management steps are crucial and life saving. Absolute goal of treatment in Cardiac tamponade is to relieve the intra-pericardial pressure and to reverse the hemodynamic shutdown, by removal of the pericardial fluid via pericardiocentesis or surgical drainage. As much inevitable as it is, pericardiocentesis is relatively contraindicated when the effusion is associated with aortic dissection or myocardial rupture due to the potential risk of aggravating the dissection or rupture via rapid pericardial decompression and restoration of systemic arterial pressure. Case description A 44-year-Old transit passenger was admitted after she developed sudden onset of palpitations, vomiting and epigastric pain. She was in sinus tachycardia when brought to the Emergency department, within minutes’ patient went into cardiac shock with severe metabolic acidosis. She was admitted to ICU and subsequently intubated. Chest X-ray showed evidence of Pleural effusion with enlarged cardiac shadow, which prompted an urgent transthoracic echocardiogram. Echo findings were consistent with clinical cardiac tamponade with a large left pericardial mass compressing the lateral LV wall and aortic root, with a color flow from the mass toward the left coronary system. Mean while the patient was rapidly deteriorating, with and patient was not stable to undergo further imaging (CT or MRI), urgent contrast echo was done to rule out vascular connection between the mass and pericardial fluid, The Echo contrast study showed no vascular connection from the mass to the pericardial space ,however there was a connection from the mass to the left coronary system as shown in the figure, based on these findings a pericardial drainage was done successfully. These findings were confirmed by contrast CT scan after patient is stabilized. Patient gradually improved clinically, was extubated successfully, the provisional diagnosis was suspicious of pheochromocytoma,however the final diagnosis not established as the patient travelled to home country for further management. Conclusion Some times, it may become clinically challenging to effectively rule out contraindications to a procedure by the gold standard modalities, specially when a patient is collapsing on the table and the clock is ticking. In such scenarios, immediate alternate approaches resulting in safe outcomes are indispensable. Likewise, in our case of emergent cardiac tamponade and a suspicious pericardial mass in a crashing patient, Transthoracic echo with Optison proved to be life saving to rule out vascular connections between cardiac mass and coronaries or pericardial fluid, when there was no time for definitive imaging modalities due to rapid deterioration of patient’s clinical status. Abstract P242 Figure.