A Rapid Point-of-Care Ultrasound Diagnosis and Treatment of Tamponade in a Patient With Rare and Lethal Purulent Pericarditis: A Case Report

This article describes the prompt diagnosis and life-saving intervention facilitated by point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in a patient presenting with tamponade secondary to a rare case of purulent pericarditis. Within a remarkable timeframe of only 40 minutes from emergency department (ED) presentation to pericardial drainage, POCUS not only confirmed the diagnosis but also expedited critical treatment measures. The etiology of the underlying purulent pericardial effusion was traced to a <i>Streptococcus pneumoniae</i> infection. Ultimately, the patient had untreated X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA), a rare immunodeficiency disorder, adding layers of complexity to the clinical scenario. Notably, only three other documented cases exist in the literature detailing adult XLA patients afflicted with purulent pericarditis, rendering this case both exceptional and informative.