Treatment of Cardiac tamponade is following:

• Treatment usually involves a procedure to drain the fluid around the heart or to cut and remove part of the pericardium, which may be done with a needle and catheter combination, balloon-tipped catheter or surgery. Often, an echocardiogram is used to help guide the entry of the needle. This use of ultrasound imaging has greatly improved its safety and effectiveness.  This invasive process is known as pericardiocentesis.
• Oxygen may be given to the patient because oxygen reduces the workload on the heart by decreasing tissue demands for blood flow.
• The cause of the tamponade must be identified and treated. Treatment of the cause may include medications such as antibiotics, and surgical repair of injury.
• Certain fluids may be given to maintain normal blood pressure of the patient until pericardiocentesis can be performed. Medicines that increase blood pressure may also help to sustain the patient’s life until the fluid is drained.
• Bed rest with the head slightly elevated minimizes the workload on the heart and may be recommended until the condition is stable.

Prevention:

Taking anti-inflammatory medications can help to prevent any fluid buildup in the pericardium which may lead to cardiac tamponade. Many cases are not preventable. Learning the warning signs and symptoms of fluid buildup in the pericardium (pericardial effusion), a person should contact a physician immediately if any of these are experienced.

Individuals who experience cardiac tamponade often describe one or more of these symptoms:

• Most people with cardiac tamponade have some shortness of breath.
• People with Cardiac tamponade have low blood pressure.
• Muffled heart sounds occur in cardiac tamponade.
• Sharp chest pain, often related to pericarditis occurs that dissipate by the time and the more severe cardiac tamponade condition develops.
• Person feels Anxiety and discomfort which is sometimes relieved by sitting upright or leaning forward.
• Swelling of the abdomen or other areas can occur.
• Clinical sign, which may not be directly evident to the patient, is that venous blood pressure rises which causes the distended jugular veins in the neck as returning blood can’t flow into the heart.
• Hypotension and a narrowing pulse pressure occur.
• Fatigue or weakness is another symptom of cardiac tamponade.

Cardiac tamponade may be caused by any of the following:

• Effusions caused by tumors often lead to tamponade, eliciting bleeding in the pericardium. Blood accumulates more rapidly than a transudate and more commonly causes tamponade.
• Pericarditis, an inflammation of the pericardium, may cause fluid and cardiac tamponade.
• Radiation or drug therapies can cause cardiac tamponade.
• Cancers in or near the heart can leak fluid into the pericardium and cause cardiac tamponade. Tamponade is more common in patients with malignant pericarditis.
• Heart catheterization and invasive surgery, including open-heart surgery and recent heart attack can lead to cardiac tamponade.
• Cardiac tamponade can be caused due to viral or bacterial infection.

Cardiac tamponade related to trauma or HIV is more common in young adults. Cardiac tamponade can be caused by anything that inflames or injures the pericardium. Some common causes are pericarditis, chest trauma and viral or bacterial infection. In a patient with cardiac tamponade, the heart experiences reduced stroke volume. This results in decreased oxygenation. The patient may have a very rapid pulse, and symptoms such as chest pain, anxiety, and extreme discomfort can be observed in the patient.

It can be complicated to diagnose cardiac tamponade, as no one medical test will reveal the condition. Blood tests, echocardiograms and other medical imaging studies can reveal abnormalities which suggest cardiac tamponade. And it can be difficult to predict when a patient will develop this condition. So it is necessary that medical care providers should tend to pay close attention to patients who are at risk so that interventions can be provided promptly, otherwise patients with this condition will die if they are not treated, and the treatment needs to take place in a hospital environment.