If you are a cardiac nurse, this is your nightmare case!  Cardiac Tamponade is a surgical emergency that requires you know more than ACLS to save this patient.  The signs and symptoms are subtle and takes an astute clinician to figure it out.

In this episode we discuss all the classic textbook assessment findings from Beck's Triad to pulsus paradoxus as well as some of the more subtle clues of declining cardiac output. We talk through when you need a pericardiocentesis and when it's time to crack the chest and perform an open arrest.

And who better to discuss this case than the person who taught me about cardiac tamponade, my boss and former Cardiac ICU Nurse; Brian McCain.

If you want to be prepared for the absolute worst case scenario for your post cardiac surgery patient, than you're gonna want to take notes on this one.