Medico legal autopsy of 34 cases of death due to cardiac tamponade: A study at Tertiary Care Hospital in India

This study is a retrospective analysis of 34 cases of deaths due to cardiac tamponade in the region of South and South-East Delhi, India, which were autopsied at the Department of Forensic Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India, during the eight years 2013-2020. The cases were analysed based on the age and sex of the deceased, the cause and manner of production of cardiac tamponade, and the site of rupture of the heart wall or blood vessel resulting in cardiac tamponade. Gender-wise incidence reflected 28 (83%) males and 6 (17%) females, with a maleto-female ratio of 4.6:1. The highest number of cases (29.41% of all cases) was observed in the age group of 41 to 50 years. The majority of cardiac tamponade cases (31, or 88%) were spontaneous or non-traumatic in origin, and only three cases were traumatic in origin. The left ventricle was the commonest site of rupture in 25 cases (73.53%). In many sudden cardiac death cases, cardiac tamponade was revealed as a cause of death that was not diagnosed in an emergency. It is necessary to evaluate the patient with advanced clinical modalities to prevent such deaths.