Blunt chest trauma. Extrapericardial cardiac tamponade by a mediastinal hematoma.

Mediastinal hematoma resulting from blunt chest trauma can cause compression of the right ventricle and extrapericardial cardiac tamponade. The diagnosis in this instance was aided by conventional two-dimensional echocardiography in addition to hemodynamic measurements. The atypical aspects of this form of cardiac tamponade are discussed.