Summary

Cardiac tamponade can have an insidious onset, becoming life threatening when an adequate cardiac output can no longer be maintained. This case provides an example of a presentation where all the classic signs were present but unfortunately they were missed, in this way providing good revision of what these signs are. It gives some anaesthetic and procedure based perspectives for this rare presentation. It is noteworthy for the speed at which symptoms and signs resolved after the tamponade was relieved.