PERICARDITIS

Course overview

PERICARDITIS IS INFLAMMATION OF THE PERICARDIAL SAC AND IS THE MOST COMMON PATHOLOGIC PROCESS INVOLVING THE PERICARDIUM. TEMPORALLY, IT MAY BE FURTHER CLASSIFIED INTO ACUTE PERICARDITIS, SUBACUTE PERICARDITIS, CHRONIC PERICARDITIS, AND RECURRENT PERICARDITIS, THE LATTER OF WHICH IS ESTIMATED TO OCCUR IN 30 PERCENT OF CASES. PERICARDITIS MAY ALSO BE ASSOCIATED WITH OTHER PERICARDIAL SYNDROMES, SUCH AS PERICARDIAL EFFUSION, CARDIAC TAMPONADE, CONSTRICTIVE PERICARDITIS, AND EFFUSIVE-CONSTRICTIVE PERICARDITIS. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE EVALUATION, TREATMENT, AND PROGNOSIS OF PERICARDITIS AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF AN INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN EVALUATING AND IMPROVING CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH THIS CONDITION.