Delayed presentation of pericardial tamponade following blunt chest trauma

Abstract

We present a case of delayed-onset pericardial tamponade nine weeks after a blunt chest trauma. The patient is a 77-year-old man who presented with shortness of breath nine weeks after fracturing his sternum in a head-on motor vehicle collision. CT and echocardiography revealed a massive pericardial effusion prompting pericardiocentesis. Eight hundred millilitres (mL) of fluid were drained, which rapidly improved his symptoms. This is the longest reported interval between the development of tamponade and a blunt chest trauma. Our case illustrates the importance of maintaining a clinical suspicion for effusion and tamponade even weeks after non-penetrating chest wall injuries.