Pericardial Disorders: MedlinePlus

Pericardial Disorders: MedlinePlus

A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health

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

MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA  

• Cardiac tamponade
• Electrocardiogram
• Heart MRI
• Pericardial fluid culture
• Pericardial fluid Gram stain
• Pericardiocentesis
• Pericarditis
• Pericarditis - after heart attack
• Pericarditis - constrictive

Related Topics

• Heart Attack
• Heart Diseases
• Blood, Heart and Circulation

National Institutes of Health

• The primary NIH organization for research on Pericardial Disorders is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Pericarditis?

08/01/2014 05:01 PM EDT

Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - 

Related MedlinePlus Page: Pericardial Disorders

What Causes Pericarditis?

08/01/2014 05:01 PM EDT

Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - 

Related MedlinePlus Page: Pericardial Disorders

How Is Pericarditis Diagnosed?

08/01/2014 05:01 PM EDT

Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - 

Related MedlinePlus Page: Pericardial Disorders

• Start Here

  • Pericarditis(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

• Diagnosis/Symptoms

  • Cardiac CT(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
  • Cardiac MRI(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
  • Electrocardiogram(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
  •  How Is Pericarditis Diagnosed?(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
  • Pericardial Fluid Analysis(American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
  •  What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Pericarditis?(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

• Treatment

  • How Is Pericarditis Treated?(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

• Specific Conditions

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

• Related Issues

  •  What Causes Pericarditis?(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
  • Return to top

• Clinical Trials

  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Cardiac Tamponade(National Institutes of Health)
  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Pericardial Effusion(National Institutes of Health)
  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Pericarditis(National Institutes of Health)
  • Return to top

• Journal Articles

  References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
  • Article: Relation between echocardiographically estimated and invasively measured filling pressures in...
  • Article: Lead aVR--the neglected lead.
  • Article: Pericarditis. Heart inflammation.
  • Pericardial Disorders -- see more articles
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• Organizations

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

  • Cardiac tamponade
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Electrocardiogram
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Heart MRI
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Pericardial fluid culture
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Pericardial fluid Gram stain
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Pericardiocentesis
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Pericarditis
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Pericarditis - after heart attack
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Pericarditis - constrictive
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Return to top