Positive Murphy's Sign in Pericardial Hematoma from a Right Atrial Tear.

A positive Murphy's sign in a patient with right upper quadrant abdominal pain is the arrest of inspiration during deep palpation of the quadrant. It is usually suggestive of acute cholecystitis. We report an unusual case of a positive Murphy's sign not due to acute cholecystitis, but rather from a pericardial hematoma from a right atrial tear causing right heart failure. The patient required an atrial tear repair to prevent a cardiac tamponade.