USMLE Difference between Beck's triad JVD and Kussmaul sign

[resiliens]

Having trouble wrapping my head around how Kussmaul sign is any different than the JVD seen in CT with Beck's triad. Isn't Kussmaul sign just JVD during inspiration as well? If so, how come we say that it's "absent during CT (cardiac tamponade)", but we still see JVD during CT as part of Beck's triad?

Sorry if my question doesn't make sense to you, but I feel like I'm missing some critical component to understanding the distinction

Thanks fam

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[WanderingGuitarist]

Having trouble wrapping my head around how Kussmaul sign is any different than the JVD seen in CT with Beck's triad. Isn't Kussmaul sign just JVD during inspiration as well? If so, how come we say that it's "absent during CT (cardiac tamponade)", but we still see JVD during CT as part of Beck's triad?

Sorry if my question doesn't make sense to you, but I feel like I'm missing some critical component to understanding the distinction

Thanks fam

Here's my understanding.

Kussmaul's sign is when the right heart cannot compensate for the increased venous return during inspiration. This leads to jugular venous distension during inspiration only.

Scenarios where this occurs: Constrictive pericarditis, Restrictive cardiomyopathy, right heart tumors.

In Beck's triad, LV cannot pump blood forward and the entire system backs up. So you have JVD during inspiration and expiration.

So although they may appear similar, the reasons for their occurrence are very different.

Hope that helps.