Pericardial Effusion: The Daily PANCE Blueprint

The answer is C. Transthoracic echocardiography

A pericardial effusion is an accumulation of fluid in the pericardial sac surrounding the heart. Etiologies include infectious (viral, bacterial, fungal), autoimmune (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s,etc), cancer, trauma, post-myocardial infarction (Dressler syndrome), thyroid disease, drug-induced, or idiopathic. Clinical features include chest pain (often worsen with laying flat and improve with sitting forward), shortness of breath, and possibly signs of tamponade physiology if the effusion is large enough (hypotension, JVD, muffled heart sounds). Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) or transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is the diagnostic modality of choice when evaluating for pericardial effusion. If the effusion is small, no intervention is really necessary other than managing the underlying disorder. Large effusions may receive pericardiocentesis for symptomatic and diagnostic reasons.