Idiopathic Pericarditis: Listening To The Heart

PERICARDITIS

The heart is a strong muscular organ that is responsible for sustaining life. During the course of the lifespan, many different types of illness or injury can interfere with the heart and its functioning. The heart is located within a sac, a double layered, flexible holding vessel that is named the pericardium. The pericardium is responsible for keeping the heart in the proper place. It is also the reason that the heart does not fill with more blood than it can hold. This is what keeps the heart working in an efficient manner. It is also a major defense for the heart, against infection. But when bacteria do manage to find its way into the pericardium, causing inflammation, it is not uncommon for blood and or fluid
In this circumstance, it becomes known as idiopathic pericarditis. Often times, once a person is diagnosed with pericarditis, it becomes recurrent. The continued attacks can last for many years following the first and initial diagnosis. In order to actually diagnose this illness, a person’s doctor will typically perform lab work and a chest x-ray. Listening to the heart affected by pericarditis, through a stethoscope, will produce sounds as though leather is creaking or a crunching or even a rustling sound. The blood work will confirm that a heart attack is not taking place. It will also confirm an elevated sedimation rate and even a c-reactive protein elevation, both of which are indications of inflammation. The x-ray will confirm enlargement in the heart, and can also show congestion in the lungs. An EKG will show how the heart is functioning, including any complications associated with pericarditis, such as restrictive pericarditis, which will restrict the beating of the
This would be a true emergency resulting in immediate action and treatment. A person’s life expectancy after a diagnosis of pericarditis would depend on the underlying cause. Typically viral pericarditis or that of undetermined etiology will resolve within one to three weeks. Of course complications or recurrences can interfere with that recovery. The most fatal cause of pericarditis would be from a metastatic diagnosis, when cancer has invaded the pericardium. This diagnosis is typically a life expectancy of 12 to 18 months. (http://www.merckmanuals.com/home/heart_and_blood_vessel_disorders/pericardial_disease/acute_pericarditis.html). Regardless of the cause, a person who is diagnosed with pericarditis is typically hospitalized during treatment. This can ensure any complications such as irregular heart rhythms can be easily monitored for. IV antibiotics can also be much more easily administered, leading to faster resolution of the