Cardiac Tamponade happens when blood or fluid fills up the thin sac that covers the heart. The fluid tends to put pressure on the heart making it hard for the heart to fill up the blood and pump it to the organs around it. It can even stop the heart from functioning and cause cardiac arrest in a few cases.

Anyone can get this life-threatening condition which can show up without any prior symptoms and this is what makes it a dangerous heart condition. So what happens in Cardiac Tamponade, what causes it and how is it treated? Know answers from the leading heart transplant surgeon in Hyderabad, Dr Alla Gopal Krishna Gokhale here.

 What happens in Cardiac Tamponade?

Usually, the heart is covered by two layers of the sac. These two layers are filled with tiny amounts of fluid which avoid friction between the layers as the heart contracts and expands. However, in a few cases, this space between these layers gets filled by extra fluid which reduces the amount of deoxygenated fluid entering the heart and oxygenated blood leaving the heart. This leads to the total amount of blood-oxygen going to the vital organs of the body which can cause an emergency.

“In some cases, the blood/fluid can fill up quickly, in others, the build-up can happen slowly, both conditions can be life-threatening when not treated as soon as possible.”, says Dr Alla Gopala Krishna Gokhale, a specialist in heart transplant surgery in Hyderabad.

Cardiac Tamponade Symptoms:

As said by Dr Gokhale, Cardiac Tamponade can happen slowly (subacute cardiac tamponade) or quickly (acute cardiac tamponade). Symptoms vary for both types of cardiac tamponade conditions. When the fluid builds up quickly, the patient may experience sudden & sharp pain in the chest, fainting or dizziness, troubled breathing, heart palpitations, jaundice or altered mental status.

Fatigue, shortness of breath, swelling in the abdomen, and chest discomfort is experienced in cardiac tamponade that is caused due to slow build-up of fluid.

Cardiac Tamponade Causes:

Cardiac Tamponade is a rare condition but anyone can fall victim to this life treating condition because there are so many ways one can acquire it. It can happen due to blunt trauma events like car crashes or fall, penetrating trauma like knife wounds or any other injury near the chest.

“It can also happen due to a variety of health conditions advanced cancer, heart attack, tuberculosis, heart cancer, kidney failure, Hypothyroidism or inflammation. Sometimes even medical procedures like heart surgery pacemaker placement, radiation therapy, and catheter-based procedures can also cause Cardiac Tamponade” says a leading heart surgeon in Hyderabad Dr Alla Gopala Krishna Gokhale.

So how is Cardiac Tamponade treated?

Cardiac Tamponade Treatment in Hyderabad:

Treatment for cardiac tamponade is based on the causes that triggered the build-up of the fluid. Cardiac Tamponade in the majority of cases is treated by removing the fluid that is built-up in the heart. A needle is inserted into the pericardial sac using imaging guidance to remove the fluid and this procedure is called pericardiocentesis.

In cases where the needle doesn’t reach the pericardium, or in cases where the injury is the cause of the cardiac tamponade, heart surgery is preferred. In cases where the heart stops due to cardiac tamponade heart surgery called thoracotomy is performed by a heart surgeon to revive the patient.

For more information on cardiac tamponade treatment, you can contact the leading heart transplant surgeon in Hyderabad Dr Alla Gopala Krishna here: @Call 9603040506