EchoBridgeMD Pearl #13: Pericardiocentesis for Cardiac Tamponade in Cardiac Arrest

Cardiac tamponade is one of the few potentially reversible causes of cardiac arrest.

When a pericardial effusion is identified during cardiac arrest and the clinical presentation raises suspicion for tamponade physiology, emergent pericardial drainage should be performed.

In one study, patients undergoing pericardiocentesis for suspected tamponade during cardiac arrest had a substantially higher survival to hospital discharge than all other patients (15% vs. 1%), highlighting the importance of promptly recognizing and treating this reversible cause of cardiac arrest.

Reference:

📖 Gaspari R, et al. Emergency department point-of-care ultrasound in out-of-hospital and in-ED cardiac arrest. Resuscitation. 2016.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27693280/

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