Case presentation
We present the case of an 84-year-old woman complaining of dyspnea for 3
weeks. She had a recent history of bilateral severe acute respiratory
syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pneumonia. After an initial evaluation in the
emergency department, the patient was admitted with a diagnosis of heart
failure. In the internal medicine department, a re-evaluation was
performed together with point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) confirmed
with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). Bilateral pleural and
pericardial effusion was noted. The patient was treated with ibuprofen
for a few days; however, the patient’s condition worsened. After
reevaluation with TTE and verifying the involvement of the right
chambers, pericardiocentesis was performed. The patient’s vitals
improved and a diagnosis of exclusion of pericardial tamponade was made
after secondary to COVID-19.