Cardiac tamponade cardiac catheterization

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Varun Kumar, M.B.B.S.

Cardiac catheterization is usually performed to confirm the diagnosis of cardiac tamponade. Two important findings suggestive of cardiac tamponade are equilibration of intracardiac diastolic pressures and the inspiratory increase in right-sided pressures associated with a reduction in the left-sided pressure.

• There is an equalization of pressures in all four chambers of the heart. The right atrial pressure equals the right ventricular end diastolic pressure which is also equivalent to the pulmonary artery diastolic pressure(10-30mm Hg).
• Diminished pulsations of cardiac silhouette on fluoroscopy
• Low pressure cardiac tamponade with intracardiac diastolic pressures of 6-12mm Hg may be seen in patients who are hypovolemic.

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