School of Medicine Publications and Presentations
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-28-2025
Abstract
Pericardial effusions, though relatively rare, can lead to life-threatening complications such as cardiac tamponade. While viral etiologies are common culprits, rapid and accurate diagnosis remains challenging. We present the case of a 74-year-old male with a history of upper respiratory infection who developed sudden onset dyspnea and chest discomfort. Bedside point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) revealed a large pericardial effusion, prompting urgent intervention. Despite initially stable vital signs, the patient rapidly deteriorated, necessitating emergent pericardiocentesis. Laboratory findings and pathology results eventually ruled out common viral causes, guiding diagnosis toward coxsackieviruses A and B, echovirus, adenoviruses, or influenza. This case highlights the critical role of POCUS in resident-led community hospitals, in expediting the diagnosis of pericardial effusions and underscores the need for prompt intervention in cases of cardiac tamponade to prevent adverse outcomes.
Recommended Citation
Othon-Martinez, D., Lopez, O. J., Daza, J., Malaga-Espinoza, B. X., Ganiyu, S., & Tijani, A. (2025). Unlocking the Mystery: Resident-Led POCUS Intervention in Community Hospital Revealing Pericardial Tamponade in a Complex Case. Journal of Investigative Medicine High Impact Case Reports, 13, 23247096241298172. https://doi.org/10.1177/23247096241298172
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Publication Title
Journal of Investigative Medicine High Impact Case Reports
DOI
10.1177/23247096241298172
Academic Level
faculty
Mentor/PI Department
Internal Medicine
Comments
© 2025 American Federation for Medical Research. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).