Acute pericarditis can lead to which complication?

Acute pericarditis can lead to which complication?

• A. Cardiac tamponade
• B. Myocardial infarction
• C. Aortic dissection
• D. Pulmonary embolism

Answer: (A)

Acute pericarditis can cause a pericardial effusion. If fluid accumulates quickly, it can compress the heart and prevent it from filling properly during diastole, leading to cardiac tamponade. This dramatically lowers preload and cardiac output, producing hypotension and signs such as elevated venous pressure and muffled heart sounds. That’s why tamponade is the key complication to recognize. Other conditions listed—myocardial infarction, aortic dissection, and pulmonary embolism—are not direct complications of acute pericarditis, though they can share similar symptoms or occur in related clinical contexts.

Acute pericarditis can cause a pericardial effusion. If fluid accumulates quickly, it can compress the heart and prevent it from filling properly during diastole, leading to cardiac tamponade. This dramatically lowers preload and cardiac output, producing hypotension and signs such as elevated venous pressure and muffled heart sounds. That’s why tamponade is the key complication to recognize. Other conditions listed—myocardial infarction, aortic dissection, and pulmonary embolism—are not direct complications of acute pericarditis, though they can share similar symptoms or occur in related clinical contexts.