Delayed cardiac tamponade after cardiac surgery is a rare complication with significant diagnostic challenges. The recurrence of cardiac tamponade physiology after initial intervention creates another degree of difficulty in the management of already medically complex patients. We present the case of a 65-year-old male who underwent four-vessel coronary artery bypass grafting that was complicated by the delayed presentation of cardiac tamponade requiring mediastinal exploration. Following this he developed a recurrence of cardiac tamponade with bleeding from a vein graft identified on multiphase spiral computed tomography angiography.
Keywords: adult cardiac surgery; cardiac critical care; computed tomography angiography (cta); coronary artery bypass grafting (cabg); delayed postoperative cardiac tamponade.
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