Hemopericardium

Hemopericardium is the accumulation of blood in the pericardial cavity, the space surrounding the heart. It can compress the heart and obstruct filling.

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Cardiac tamponade: A life-threatening condition in which pressure within the pericardial sac impairs cardiac filling. Hemopericardium causes tamponade when accumulating blood raises pericardial pressure enough to restrict filling.
Blunt cardiac injury: Damage to the heart or nearby structures caused by a nonpenetrating force to the chest. Severe blunt trauma can tear cardiac tissue or vessels and release blood into the pericardial cavity.
Echocardiography: Imaging that uses ultrasound to show the heart's structure and motion. It can reveal pericardial fluid and signs that the heart is being compressed.
Pericardial effusion: An abnormal accumulation of fluid within the pericardial cavity. Hemopericardium is the blood-filled form of this broader condition.
Pericardial cavity: The potential space between the parietal and visceral layers of the pericardium. This is the space where blood accumulates in hemopericardium.
Penetrating cardiac injury: A wound that passes through the chest wall and injures the heart or its vessels. A penetrating wound can directly introduce blood into the pericardial cavity.
Focused assessment with sonography for trauma: A bedside ultrasound examination used to detect internal bleeding after trauma. The pericardial view can rapidly identify fluid in injured trauma patients.
Hemopericardium and pericardial effusion: A comparison of blood accumulation in the pericardium with other forms of pericardial fluid. The distinction highlights how fluid composition and bleeding source affect clinical evaluation.
Pericardial pressure: The pressure exerted by the pericardial contents on the heart and surrounding structures. Rising pressure explains how blood in the cavity limits cardiac expansion.
Aortic dissection: A tear in the aortic inner layer that allows blood to split the vessel wall. A dissection reaching the pericardial space can cause rapidly fatal bleeding.