Causes
Pulsus paradoxus can be caused by several physiologic mechanisms. Anatomically, these can be grouped into:
- cardiac causes,
- pulmonary causes and
- non-pulmonary and non-cardiac causes.
Considered physiologically, PP is caused by:
- decreased right heart functional reserve, e.g. myocardial infarction and tamponade,
- right ventricular inflow or outflow obstruction, e.g. superior vena cava obstruction and pulmonary embolism, and
- decreased blood to the left heart due to lung hyperinflation (e.g. asthma, COPD) and anaphylactic shock.
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