[Cardiac tamponade: emergency pericardiocentesis using a common set for central venous catheterization].

Cardiac tamponade is compression of the heart due to an anomalous amount of fluid in the pericardium. The increased intrapericardial pressure prevents the heart from expanding adequately during diastole. As a consequence, stroke volume, blood pressure and cardiac output decrease. Cardiac tamponade is a cardiac emergency. If the fluid in the pericardium is not very quickly removed, the patient will die from cardiogenic shock. It is possible to perform successful pericardiocentesis (cardiac surgery division for pericardiotomy is not present in every hospital) with a common set for catheterisation of the vena cava using the Seldinger technique. This emergency treatment is being used more and more diffuse among cardiologists for its effectiveness, but rigorous knowledge of anatomic structures and good experience in management of sets used for catheterisation of central veins are necessary, to avoid possible grave complications. We report 3 cases of cardiac tamponade, admitted to the CCU for cardiogenic shock, successful by treated by pericardiocentesis.