Tamponade, chronic

Tamponade, chronic: A situation in which a chronic excess of fluid inside the pericardial sac and thickening of the pericardial sac progressively compress the heart and impair its performance. The excess fluid in the pericardial sac acts to constrict the heart. The word "tamponade" is direct from the French. The French verb "tamponner" means to plug up and, also, to smash into. Here the outpouring of fluid within the pericardial sac is slowly smashing into the heart.