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Cardiac tamponade due to coronary artery erosion

Silvana Marasco1, Mark Fitzgerald, Marco Larobina

  • 1Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia. s.marasco@alfred.org.au

The Heart Surgery Forum
|July 19, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Foreign bodies can cause cardiac tamponade by eroding coronary arteries. This report details two cases, one from an ingested object and another from an iatrogenic cause, highlighting unusual origins of this critical condition.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Medical Case Reports

Background:

  • Cardiac tamponade is a life-threatening condition caused by fluid accumulation in the pericardial sac.
  • Coronary artery erosion leading to tamponade is rare.
  • Foreign bodies are an infrequent cause of cardiac trauma and subsequent tamponade.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To report two distinct cases of cardiac tamponade.
  • To illustrate unusual etiologies of coronary artery erosion.
  • To emphasize the varied causes of cardiac tamponade.

Main Methods:

  • Case report analysis of two patients presenting with cardiac tamponade.
  • Review of medical history, diagnostic imaging, and surgical findings.
  • Literature review on foreign body-induced cardiac tamponade.

Main Results:

  • Two patients experienced cardiac tamponade due to coronary artery bleeding.
  • In one case, an ingested foreign body eroded the coronary artery.
  • In the second case, an iatrogenic procedure led to coronary artery erosion and tamponade.

Conclusions:

  • Foreign bodies, whether ingested or iatrogenically introduced, can cause severe cardiac complications.
  • Coronary artery erosion by foreign bodies is a rare but critical cause of cardiac tamponade.
  • Clinical awareness of unusual etiologies is essential for diagnosing and managing cardiac tamponade.

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