Definition of Cardiac tamponade:

Cardiac tamponade is the compression of the heart that occurs when blood or fluid builds up in the space between the myocardium (the muscle of the heart) and the pericardium (the outer covering sac of the heart).

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

In this condition, blood or fluid collects within the pericardium. This prevents the ventricles from expanding fully. They cannot fill enough or pump blood.

Cardiac tamponade can occur due to:

• Dissecting aortic aneurysm (thoracic)
• End-stage lung cancer
• Heart attack (acute MI)
• Heart surgery
• Pericarditis caused by bacterial or viral infections
• Wounds to the heart

Other potential causes include:

• Heart tumors
• Hypothyroidism
• Kidney failure
• Radiation therapy to the chest
• Recent invasive heart procedures
• Recent open heart surgery
• Systemic lupus erythematosus

Cardiac tamponade occurs in approximately 2 out of 10,000 people.