Beck's Triad indicates which condition?

• A. Pulmonary edema
• B. Cardiac tamponade
• C. Aortic dissection
• D. Tension pneumothorax

Answer: (B)

Beck's Triad is a classic clue to cardiac tamponade, where fluid in the pericardial sac compresses the heart and prevents it from filling properly. The three signs—low blood pressure, elevated jugular venous pressure, and muffled heart sounds—come from that compression: hypotension because the heart can't fill and eject effectively, JVD from impaired venous return, and muffled sounds because the fluid around the heart dampens the sounds heard with a stethoscope.

This set fits tamponade best, whereas the other conditions have different primary presentations. Pulmonary edema centers on lung congestion with crackles and shortness of breath; aortic dissection involves sudden, severe chest pain and possible pulse deficits; tension pneumothorax presents with distress, unilateral chest findings like hyperresonance and tracheal deviation, and not the muffled-heart-sound aspect.