Beck's triad is an indicator of cardiac tamponade.

• A. Myocardial infarction
• B. Cardiac tamponade
• C. Pulmonary edema
• D. Aortic dissection

Answer: (B)

Beck's triad signals cardiac tamponade. It consists of hypotension, jugular venous distension, and muffled heart sounds. When fluid or blood accumulates in the pericardial sac, it compresses the heart, especially during diastole, so the heart can’t fill properly. That drops stroke volume and blood pressure, while the backed-up venous pressure makes the neck veins distend, and the surrounding fluid muffles heart sounds. This combination is classic for tamponade and helps distinguish it from other conditions like myocardial infarction (which mainly presents with chest pain and ECG changes), pulmonary edema (which features lung crackles and pink-tinged sputum), or aortic dissection (which often has sudden severe chest/back pain and potential pulse deficits).