title: Pericardial tamponade in patients with central venous catheters.
abstract: Cardiac (pericardial) tamponade occurs when the pressure of the fluid within the pericardial sac is high enough to impair the venous return to the heart. Cardiac tamponade can occur during central venous catheter placements. Nursing members of a central vascular catheter placement team benefit from quickly recognizing this clinical situation and understanding the appropriate clinical response. A methodical approach to this potentially fatal condition can greatly increase patient safety. This article reviews this condition, its clinical presentation and diagnosis, and strategies for avoiding central vascular access-associated tamponade.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA. andrew.r.forauer@hitchcock.org
authors.forename: Andrew R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Forauer
mesh_terms: D002305:Cardiac Tamponade / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002405:Catheterization, Central Venous / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000451:nursing; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005471:Fluoroscopy; D006801:Humans; D007049:Iatrogenic Disease / Q000517:prevention & control; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D020519:Pericardiocentesis; D010808:Physical Examination; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017751:Safety Management; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional