What term describes pressure on the heart due to fluid or air accumulation, impairing filling?

What term describes pressure on the heart due to fluid or air accumulation, impairing filling?

• A. Tamponade
• B. Pneumothorax
• C. Edema
• D. Hemorrhage

Answer: (A)

Pressure on the heart that prevents full filling comes from fluid or air trapped around the heart in the pericardial space. This condition is tamponade. When the pericardial sac fills with fluid (pericardial effusion) or air (pneumopericardium), it externally compresses the heart, especially during diastole, and reduces the heart’s ability to fill properly. That drop in filling lowers the preload, which in turn reduces stroke volume and cardiac output, leading to poor circulation despite the heart’s normal beating. This is different from a pneumothorax, which is air in the pleural space affecting ventilation; edema, which is fluid buildup in tissues, and hemorrhage, which is bleeding, do not describe this specific external compression of the heart that impairs filling.

Pressure on the heart that prevents full filling comes from fluid or air trapped around the heart in the pericardial space. This condition is tamponade. When the pericardial sac fills with fluid (pericardial effusion) or air (pneumopericardium), it externally compresses the heart, especially during diastole, and reduces the heart’s ability to fill properly. That drop in filling lowers the preload, which in turn reduces stroke volume and cardiac output, leading to poor circulation despite the heart’s normal beating. This is different from a pneumothorax, which is air in the pleural space affecting ventilation; edema, which is fluid buildup in tissues, and hemorrhage, which is bleeding, do not describe this specific external compression of the heart that impairs filling.