CardioNerds (Amit Goyal & Karan Desai) join University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center cardiology fellows (Tarek Chami, Jamal Hajjari, and Haytham Mously) for some amazing pizza and coffee in Cleveland, Ohio! They discuss an important case of effusive constrictive pericarditis. Dr. Brian Hoit provides the E-CPR and assistant program director Dr. Claire Sullivan provides a message for applicants. We are grateful to chief fellow Scott Janus for his leadership in planning this episode! Episode notes were developed by Johns Hopkins internal medicine resident Colin Blumenthal with mentorship from University of Maryland cardiology fellow Karan Desai.
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Episode graphic by Dr. Carine Hamo
The CardioNerds Cardiology Case Reports series shines light on the hidden curriculum of medical storytelling. We learn together while discussing fascinating cases in this fun, engaging, and educational format. Each episode ends with an “Expert CardioNerd Perspectives & Review” (E-CPR) for a nuanced teaching from a content expert. We truly believe that hearing about a patient is the singular theme that unifies everyone at every level, from the student to the professor emeritus.
We are teaming up with the ACC FIT Section to use the #CNCR episodes to showcase CV education across the country in the era of virtual recruitment. As part of the recruitment series, each episode features fellows from a given program discussing and teaching about an interesting case as well as sharing what makes their hearts flutter about their fellowship training. The case discussion is followed by both an E-CPR segment and a message from the program director.
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Patient Summary
A woman in her mid-70s presented to clinic with subacute onset shortness of breath. Her past medical history includes metastatic breast cancer s/p mastectomy, chemo/radiation, and hormonal therapy. Exam notable for tachycardia without hypoxia, muffled heart sounds, JVD with Kussmaul's sign, and 1+ LE edema. The patient was sent to the ED for evaluation of possible pericardial effusion. CTA chest in ED did not demonstrate a PE, but did show bilateral pleural effusions, and a moderate pericardial effusion with evidence of metastatic disease extending into the mediastinum. TTE obtained showing normal LVEF, moderate pericardial effusion with thickened pericardium, and significant respirophasic tricuspid and mitral inflow variations. Pulsus paradoxus was manually checked and found to be 16 mmHg.
Due to concern for cardiac tamponade, she was taken to the cath lab for a RHC and pericardiocentesis. RHC prior to pericardiocentesis showed elevated left and ride sided filling pressures, blunted y decent in the RA, and equalization of diastolic pressures. Pericardiocentesis yielded 200 cc of bloody fluid with improvement, but continued elevation, in her L and R sided pressures. Blunted y decent did give way to a now rapid y descent concerning for constrictive pericarditis. She then underwent a cardiac MRI showing respirophasic septal motion suggestive of interventricular dependence and >1 cm thick pericardium with LGE c/w inflammation. Unfortunately, cytology of pericardial fluid was c/w a malignant effusion and despite treatment with a few months of anti-inflammatory therapy her symptoms did not improve. She then underwent a pericardial stripping with subsequent resolution of her symptoms. As her symptoms and hemodynamics were related to both the effusion and constriction, she was ultimately diagnosed with effusive constrictive pericarditis.
Case Media
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A. ECGB. CXRC-F. TTE (inflow velocities (mitral and tricuspid),