Assessment of pericardial effusions
Pericardial effusions are frequently seen in patients with critical illness and are often a key differential diagnosis in hemodynamic decompensation. Although identification of an anechoic space of a potential pericardial effusion can be performed with relative ease, a number of important steps are required to refute other false positives and determine its’ significance.
This section will review potential false positives, differentiating pleural vs pericardial, assessment of size and hemodynamic significance, in conjunction with clinical examination. Please come back soon as we will post a video tutorial.