Cardiovascular · UKMLA & AKT
Pericardial effusion
A free high-yield preview for the UKMLA Applied Knowledge Test, covering how to recognise this condition. The full SA Note notes add investigations, management and complications, with practice questions on this topic.
Key high-yield points
- Inflammatory/autoimmune - pericarditis (viral, bacterial, TB), Dressler's syndrome, SLE, rheumatoid arthritis
- Malignancy - metastatic (lung, breast, melanoma most common); often haemorrhagic and haemodynamically significant
- Iatrogenic - post-cardiac surgery, post-coronary angiogram/PCI, pacemaker lead perforation
- Trauma - haemopericardium can develop rapidly even with modest volumes
- Metabolic - hypothyroidism, uraemia, hypoalbuminaemia
Timing is the key discriminator: Dressler's syndrome = 2-6 weeks post-MI; early pericarditis = within 48 hours. Both can cause a pericardial effusion with muffled heart sounds.
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