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As a reaction to the damage of the heart muscle, inflammatory cells are attracted. The inflammation may reach out and affect the heart sac. This is called pericarditis. In Dressler's syndrome, this occurs several weeks after the initial event. If pericarditis were to persist, pericardial effusion may also occur which could in turn lead to ...
For example, pericardial effusion from autoimmune etiologies may benefit from anti-inflammatory medications. Pericardial effusion due to a viral infection usually resolves within a few weeks without any treatment. [8] Small pericardial effusions without any symptoms don't require treatment and may be watched with serial ultrasounds. [2]
Myocardial infarction; Other names: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart attack: A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque slowly builds up in the inner lining of a coronary artery and then suddenly ruptures, causing catastrophic thrombus formation, totally occluding the artery and preventing blood flow downstream to the heart muscle.
The typical signs of post-pericardiotomy syndrome include fever, pleuritis (with possible pleural effusion), pericarditis (with possible pericardial effusion), occasional but rare pulmonary infiltrates, and fatigue. [1] [2] Cough, pleuritic or retrosternal chest pain, joint pain and decreased oxygen saturation can also be seen in some cases. [1]
Cardiomyopathy is a group of primary diseases of the heart muscle. [1] Early on there may be few or no symptoms. [1] As the disease worsens, shortness of breath, feeling tired, and swelling of the legs may occur, due to the onset of heart failure. [1] An irregular heart beat and fainting may occur. [1]
Rarely, electrical alternans may be seen, depending on the size of the effusion. [citation needed] A chest x-ray is usually normal in acute pericarditis but can reveal the presence of an enlarged heart if a pericardial effusion is present and is greater than 200 mL in volume. Conversely, patients with unexplained new onset cardiomegaly should ...
The pleural and pericardial cavities are exaggerated since normally there is no space between parietal and visceral pleura and between pericardium and heart. Pericardial fluid is the serous fluid secreted by the serous layer of the pericardium into the pericardial cavity. The pericardium consists of two layers, an outer fibrous layer and the ...
The most common cause of myocardial rupture is a recent myocardial infarction, with the rupture typically occurring three to five days after infarction. [3] Other causes of rupture include cardiac trauma, endocarditis (infection of the heart), [4] [5] cardiac tumors, infiltrative diseases of the heart, [4] and aortic dissection.