Cardiac Tamponade Associated with Acupuncture

Abstract

Acupuncture is regarded as a relatively safe procedure, but it may have various complications. Cardiac tamponade after acupuncture is an extremely rare complication but can have fatal outcomes. We present a 73-year-old female patient with decreased consciousness and dyspnea after acupuncture at an oriental medical clinic. Initial vital signs were a blood pressure of 60/40 mmHg and a heart rate of 110 beats/min. Echocardiography and chest computed tomography were performed in the emergency department to determine the cause of the shock, and the result came out as hemopericardium. The patient underwent through an emergency cardiac surgery under the diagnosis of cardiac tamponade following acupuncture and was fully recovered after surgery.