Fatal cardiac tamponade as the first manifestation of acute myeloid leukemia.

Acute myeloid leukemia is a hemopoietic myeloid stem cell neoplasm. It is the most common acute leukemia affecting adults,and its incidence increases with age. Acute myeloid leukemia is characterized by the rapid growth of abnormal white blood cells that accumulate in the bone marrow and interfere with the production of normal blood cells. As the leukemic cells keep filling the bone marrow, symptoms of the disease started to appear: fatigue, bleeding, increased frequency of infections, and shortness of breath. Cardiac tamponade or pericardial tamponade is an acute medical condition in which the accumulation of pericardial fluid prevents the function of the heart. Signs and symptoms include Beck triad (hypotension, distended neck veins, and muffled heart sounds), paradoxus pulses, tachycardia, tachypnea, and breathlessness. Pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade are rare and severe complications of leukemia; they often develop during the radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or infections in the course of leukemia. This study sought to assess the fatal cardiac tamponade as the first manifestation of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We found no reports in the literature linking these 2 clinical entities. Although the patient had no signs or diagnosis of AML previously, this case was remarkable for the rapidly progressive symptoms and the fatal outcome. The pericardial effusion reaccumulated rapidly after its initial drainage; it is a possible explanation that the leukemic cells interfered with cardiac activity or that they decreased their contractility myocytes secreting a toxic essence.