Cardiac tamponade<unk>  can be used to diagnose and treat cardiac tamponade. Cardiac tamponade is a medical emergency in which excessive accumulation of fluid within the pericardium (pericardial effusion) creates increased pressure. This prevents the heart from filling normally with blood. This can critically decrease the amount of blood that is pumped from the heart, causing obstructive shock, which can be lethal. The removal of the excess fluid reverses this dangerous process, and is often the first treatment for cardiac tamponade due to its speed. Analysis of pericardial fluid It can also be used to analyze the fluid surrounding the heart. Fluid may be analysed to differentiate a number of conditions, including: * infection * spread of cancer * autoimmune conditions, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis Pericarditis<unk>  can relieve the symptoms of pericarditis. There may be a normal amount of pericardial fluid, but inflammation still causes compression of the heart. Removal of some of this fluid reduces pressure on the heart.
Pericardiocentesis
Pericardial window
Pericardiectomy
Corticotomy
Balloon tamponade
Pulmonary tractotomy
Cardiomyoplasty
Pulmonary thrombectomy