Transient acute left ventricular dysfunction post-pericardiocentesis for cardiac tamponade

Abstract A rare but serious complication of pericardiocentesis is the development of transient left ventricular dysfunction. In this report, we present a case of a 65-year-old male patient with cardiac tamponade who suffered from acute left ventricular heart failure post-pericardiocentesis. Learning objective: Acute left ventricular dysfunction is a rare but serious complication of pericardiocentesis. However, there is lack of existing guidelines on pericardial fluid drainage and monitoring post-pericardiocentesis. To minimize the risk of the development of acute left ventricular dysfunction, the authors propose that every pericardiocentesis should be guided by predetermined parameters, e.g. rate of drainage, while taking into account each patient's physical profile.>