title: Can pleural effusions cause cardiac tamponade?
abstract: Pleural effusion(s) can increase the pressure of an otherwise insignificant pericardial effusion to a degree that can result in cardiac tamponade. The case histories presented here illustrate the importance of recognizing this phenomenon and altering our treatment algorithm to drain the pleural effusions instead of the pericardial collections.
authors.affiliation: Section of Surgical Critical Care, Department of Surgery, Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC 20010, USA.
authors.forename: H B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Alam
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Levitt
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Molyneaux
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Sample
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002305:Cardiac Tamponade / Q000209:etiology*; D004322:Drainage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy