Peer Reviewed
GP emergency management
A young woman with chest pain and ECG changes
Recent articles on:
Pericardial disorders
Pericardial disorders
Abstract
A woman presents with chest pain and her ECG suggests a diagnosis of pericarditis but acute myocardial infarction needs to be ruled out.
Key Points
- Acute pericarditis is diagnosed by the presence of at least two of the following criteria: typical chest pain, pericardial friction rub, suggestive ECG changes, and new or worsening pericardial effusion.
- Patients with suspected pericarditis and/or chest pain should be sent by ambulance to the emergency department of their local hospital to rule out acute coronary syndrome.
- Echocardiography is still the gold-standard test for pericarditis.
- The ECG changes in acute pericarditis differ from that of acute myocardial infarction in several ways.
- Treatment of pericarditis depends on the underlying cause.
- Indicators for poor prognosis in patients with pericarditis include temperature above 38oC, subacute onset over weeks, immunosuppression and large pericardial effusion.
Picture credit: © iStockphoto/Patrick Heagney. Model used for illustrative purposes only.
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