We present a case of a middle-aged woman in cardiac tamponade. Following pericardiocentesis that removed 1,500 ml of hemorrhagic fluid, the patient exhibited cardiogenic shock; LVEF, at its nadir, on inotrope, was less than 20%. Ventricular function slowly improved, with inotropic support, to the normal range by the 25th day of hospitalization. Cardiac failure in malignancy has often been attributed to multi-system failure; this case showed a hereto unrecognized clinical phenomenon – ‘malignancy-associated myopericarditis’. While the direct link of cause and effect cannot be made with certainty, the case should be instructive to other clinicians who encounter similar life-threatening presentations of cardiac decompensation in malignancy.

Keywords:
Myopericarditis, Pericardial effusion, Lung neoplasm, Cardiac metastasis, Cardiac tamponade
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© 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel
2005
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