What is cardiac tamponade?

Tamponade: Cardiac tamponade relates to impaired diastolic filling as a consequence of pericardial-ventricular pressure interactions wherein increasing pericardial pressures due to pericardial effusion exert a negative effect on ventricular filling resulting a drop in cardiac output and bp. Discordant effects between the right and left ventricular diastolic filling during inspiration (pulsus paradoxus).

Compression: Of a chamber of heart by extrinsic compression such as from fluid or clot in the pericardium compressing on a ventricle or atrium.