title: Cardiac tamponade masquerading as gastritis: a case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade can develop in patients with virtually any condition that affects the pericardium. A high index of suspicion with proper diagnostic scheme can lessen the concomitant morbidity and mortality. Although cardiac tamponade mimics many medical conditions, internists and primary care physicians should be aware of the physiological and clinical aspects of the disease spectrum.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 31-year-old Caucasian man, with no significant past medical history, presented to our emergency room with acute upper abdominal heaviness of 2 hours' duration after drinking excessive amounts of alcohol in a short period of time (binge drinking). The coexistence of recent alcohol binge drinking and nonspecific abdominal complaints usually presume a diagnosis of gastritis in our daily encounters in the absence of hepatic, biliary or pancreatic derangements. We present a case in which the presenting abdominal pain turned out to be related to cardiac tamponade.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cardiac tamponade is a sort of cardiogenic shock and is a medical emergency. Clinicians should understand the cardiac tamponade physiology, especially in cases without large pericardial effusion, and correlate the signs of clinical tamponade together with the echocardiographic findings. Drainage of cardiac tamponade is life-saving. A high index of suspicion with proper diagnostic arcades lessens the concomitant morbidity and mortality.
authors: Creighton University Medical Center, 601 30th street, 5th floor, Omaha, NE 68131, USA. Ahmedabuzaid1@creighton.edu.
authors: Abuzaid
authors: A
authors: Ahmed
authors: Tella Sri
authors: TS
authors: Harsha
authors: Tantoush
authors: T
authors: Hamza
authors: Ameri
authors: A
authors: Allen
authors: Elkhashab
authors: E
authors: Mohamed
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D063425:Binge Drinking; D002305:Cardiac Tamponade / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005756:Gastritis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010491:Pericardial Window Techniques; D010493:Pericarditis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*