"Pseudo" Faraday cage: a solution for telemetry link interaction between a left ventricular assist device and an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.

Patients implanted with left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) may have implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) implanted for sudden cardiac death prevention. This opens the possibility of device-device communication interactions and thus interferences. We present a case of such interaction that led to ICD communication failure following the activation of an LVAD.

Pericardial effusion impending tamponade: a look beyond Beck's triad.

Clinical diagnosis of chronic or slowly progressing pericardial effusion with impending tamponade remains a challenge, particularly when classical physical signs are subtle or absent. A high index of suspicion should be entertained in such cases in the appropriate setting even when the clinical signs and symptoms are missing. We present two cases where the pericardial effusion was missed in the emergency department due to subtle clinical features or mistaken for a more familiar "look-a-like" presentation.