Pericardial effusion is fluid in the sac around the heart. In cats it is uncommon and usually a small-volume by-product of congestive heart failure (CHF), which is the reverse of the dog, where large effusions from tumors or idiopathic pericarditis cause tamponade. The NAVLE tests whether you know the feline causes, can recognize cardiac tamponade, and know that the emergency treatment is pericardiocentesis, not a diuretic.
Key facts
Pericardial effusion at a glance- Species and system: cat; cardiovascular (pericardium).
- Most common cause: CHF from cardiomyopathy (75% of 146 cats in one referral study).
- Other causes: neoplasia (lymphoma is the most common cardiac tumor in cats), feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), peritoneopericardial diaphragmatic hernia (PPDH), and rarely bacterial pericarditis, trauma or other tumors.
- Classic presentation: a cat with signs of CHF in which echocardiography also shows a small rim of pericardial fluid; true tamponade is uncommon.
- Gold standard: echocardiography.
- Emergency treatment of tamponade: pericardiocentesis from the right side; diuretics are contraindicated.
- Zoonotic or reportable: neither.
What's inside
12 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Cause and pathophysiology
- Clinical signs
- Diagnosis
- Differential diagnoses
- Treatment and management
- Prevention, control and public health
- Prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 5 tables, 2 figures, 3 self-test questions and 19 references, available to NAVLE members.
Read the full study guide
The full guide is part of every NAVLE plan, with diagnosis and treatment tables, figures, a quick review and self-test questions. Start a free trial to try the question bank, or log in if you are already a member.