A 44-year-old man, with a history of arterial hypertension, was referred with increasing shortness of breath due to a large pericardial effusion and imminent tamponade. Emergency ultrasound-guided pericardiocentesis resulted in the rapid withdrawal of 2760 cc of serous fluid. 3 hours later, the patient developed acute pulmonary oedema, which was successfully treated. Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy was later diagnosed and malignancy was excluded as a cause of the effusion. Clinicians performing pericardiocentesis need to be aware of pericardial decompression syndrome (PDS), a rare but serious complication. Although the underlying mechanisms causing PDS are not fully understood, patients with high left ventricular (LV) filling pressures are at particular risk. In other words: diastolic dysfunction of the LV is a risk factor for the occurrence of PDS.
2016 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.