Repetitive yawning associated with cardiac tamponade

Yawning occurs frequently in daily life and is often attributed to boredom and fatigue. Rarely, it may be a symptom of serious underlying medical illness, primarily involving the central nervous system. We report a case of acute cardiac tamponade resulting from a large, malignant pericardial effusion. The patient manifested striking repetitive yawning that resolved immediately after pericardial drainage. An association between repetitive yawning and acute cardiac tamponade has not been previously described.