Pericardial Disorders

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• Diagnosis and Tests

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Summary

The pericardium is a membrane, or sac, that surrounds your heart. It holds the heart in place and helps it work properly. Problems with the pericardium include:

• Pericarditis - an inflammation of the sac. It can be from a virus or other infection, a heart attack, heart surgery, other medical conditions, injuries, and certain medicines.
• Pericardial effusion - the buildup of fluid in the sac
• Cardiac tamponade - a serious problem in which buildup of fluid in the sac causes problems with the function of the heart

Symptoms of pericardial problems include chest pain, rapid heartbeat, and difficulty breathing. Fever is a common symptom of acute pericarditis. Your doctor may use a physical exam, imaging tests, and heart tests to make a diagnosis. Treatment depends on the cause.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Start Here

• Heart Inflammation (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Heart Health Tests: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Myocarditis and Pericarditis after mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Specifics

• Acute Pericarditis (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish
• Chronic Pericarditis (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish
• Dressler Syndrome (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Pericardial Effusion (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Pericarditis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Pericarditis (Texas Heart Institute) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Pericardial Effusion (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Pericarditis (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: In-hospital outcomes of cardiac tamponade in patients with pulmonary hypertension: A...
• Article: Clinical Manifestations and Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Cardiovascular Symptoms...
• Article: Clinical Utility of Rilonacept for the Treatment of Recurrent Pericarditis: Design,...
• Pericardial Disorders -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• American Heart Association
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Patient Handouts

• Cardiac tamponade (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Pericardiocentesis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Pericarditis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Pericarditis - after heart attack (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Pericarditis - constrictive (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish