INJURY | PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER | PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY | INJURIES

Explanation and Causes:

Around the heart and the major blood vessels of the heart is a sac called the pericardial sac. Pericarditis is when this sac becomes inflamed and starts to swell. This presents problems for normal beating of the heart and irritation of the heart tissue due to the rubbing of the sac against it when it is inflamed. When the fluid builds up inside the sac it is called pericardial effusion.

There are many things that can cause pericarditis. Often times the cause turns out to be idiopathic meaning there is no known cause. Other causes include:

• Viral infection
• Bacterial infection
• Hypothyroidism
• Injury to the chest as such in an automobile accident
• Autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus
• Certain drugs
• Antibody formation against the pericardium
• Cancer
• Kidney failure
• Heart Attack

Symptoms:

• Sharp stabbing chest pain
• Dull lagging pain that increases in intensity when laying down or inhaling deeply
• Pain similar to a heart attack
• Shortness of breath
• Low-grade fever
• Weakness or fatigue
• Feeling of sickness
• Pain when swallowing

Diagnosis and Tests:

• History and physical
• Chest x-ray
• EKG
• ECG
• Blood tests
• Pericardiocentesis is when the physician uses a needle to go through the chest wall and drain the fluid from the pericardial sac

Treatment:

If the cause is idiopathic physicians will treat the pain and swelling of the sac using diuretics and pericardiocentesis until a cause can be found. If there is a suspected or known cause, treatment of that cause will cause the condition to recede. With this condition, rest is very important to protect the heart and pleural sac which surrounds the lungs. For acute pericarditis, recovery can take up to 3-4 weeks before being fully active again. With chronic pericarditis steroids and colchicines can be used to decrease swelling. Also, surgery to remove the pericardial sac, might be a viable option, but would limit physical activity of the patient from that point on. In such a case, a recovery period of 2 weeks to 3 months is not unrealistic.

Prevention: