Atrial Arrhythmias as a Complication of Cardiac Tamponade. Case Series and Review of Literature

Ziad SayedAhmad^1, , Zachary Oman¹, Ihab Hassanieh¹, ElSayed Abo-Salem¹ and Tarek Helmy¹

¹The Center for Comprehensive Cardiovascular Care, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri

Cite this paper:
Ziad SayedAhmad, Zachary Oman, Ihab Hassanieh, ElSayed Abo-Salem and Tarek Helmy. Atrial Arrhythmias as a Complication of Cardiac Tamponade. Case Series and Review of Literature. American Journal of Medical Case Reports. 2020; 8(3):70-72. doi: 10.12691/ajmcr-8-3-1

Abstract

Atrial arrhythmias have been associated with a large number of medical conditions such as infection, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary embolism, hyperthyroidism, hypertension, and acute coronary syndrome to name a few. While less common, atrial arrhythmias have also been associated with disease processes causing pericardial inflammation. As such, presentation of atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter (A-Fib/A-Flutter) as a complication of pericardial effusion and the role of pericardiocentesis have not been well described. We report two cases of large pericardial effusions complicated by A-Fib/A-Flutter with immediate conversion to sinus rhythm following pericardiocentesis.

Keywords:
pericardial effusion Pericardiocentesis atrial fibrillation

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