3D Animation Of Cardiac Tamponade

[postlink]http://abcheart.blogspot.com/2011/05/3d-animation-of-cardiac-tamponade.html?m=0[/postlink]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwgfuDegC5Yendofvid
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Cardiac tamponade is compression of the heart that occurs when blood or fluid builds up in the space between the myocardium (heart muscle) and the pericardium (outer covering sac of the heart).

Cardiac tamponade is an emergency condition that requires hospitalization.

The fluid around the heart must be drained. Pericardiocentesis is a procedure that uses a needle to remove fluid from the pericardial sac, the tissue that surrounds the heart.

A procedure to cut and remove part of the pericardium (surgical pericardiectomy or pericardial window) may also be done.

Fluids are given to maintain normal blood pressure until pericardiocentesis can be performed. Medications that increase blood pressure may also help sustain the patient's life until the fluid is drained.

The patient may be given oxygen. This reduces the workload on the heart by decreasing tissue demands for blood flow.

The cause of the tamponade must be identified and treated. 
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