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.