Saturday 3 March 2012

Pericardial effusion with electrical alternans

A 56 year old man with breathlessness and raised JVP.


Pericardial effusion with electrical alternans

  • The QRS axis alternates between beats. In this example it is best seen in the chest leads where the QRS points in different directions!
  • This is rarely seen and is due to the heart moving in the effusion.