pulsus paradoxus

Signs of pericardial tamponade include tachycardia, pulsus paradoxus, elevated jugular venous pressure, and hypotension; however, some patients may develop tamponade without this clinical pattern.

The paradox in pulsus paradoxus is that, on clinical examination, one can detect beats on cardiac auscultation during inspiration that cannot be palpated at the radial pulse.

In medicine, a pulsus paradoxus (PP), also paradoxic pulse or paradoxical pulse, is defined as an abnormally large decrease in systolic blood pressure and pulse wave amplitude during inspiration.

However, in situations where the left ventricular pressure remains higher than the pericardial sac (most frequently from coexisting disease with an elevated left ventricular diastolic pressure), there is no pulsus paradoxus.