title: Cardiac tamponade masking pulmonary embolism.
abstract: This report describes a patient admitted with shortness of breath due to cardiac tamponade, which masked concomitant pulmonary embolism that was diagnosed only after right heart pressures failed to decrease after successful pericardiocentesis. The patient was found to have widely metastatic adenocarcinoma of colon (with metastases to pericardium) and a paraneoplastic syndrome of deep vein thrombosis.
authors.affiliation: Saint Vincent Hospital, Worcester, Massachusetts 01604, USA.
authors.forename: U C
authors.initials: UC
authors.lastname: Jairath
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Benotti
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Spodick
mesh_terms: D002305:Cardiac Tamponade / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000150:complications*