Pericarditis: New guidance takes on the diagnosis and management of a challenging heart condition

Pericardial Effusion Sizing Evaluation by Echocardiography. Representative (A) small, (B) moderate, and (C) large PEffs (∗). Representative (D) simple PEff with fibrin strands, (E) exudative PEff, and (F) malignant PEff (∗) caused by pericardial mesothelioma. Adapted with permission from Klein et al. Images and caption courtesy of the American College of Cardiology and JACC.pericarditis cardiac imaging

Pericardial Effusion Sizing Evaluation by Echocardiography. Representative (A) small, (B) moderate, and (C) large PEffs (∗). Representative (D) simple PEff with fibrin strands, (E) exudative PEff, and (F) malignant PEff (∗) caused by pericardial mesothelioma. Adapted with permission from Klein et al. Images and caption courtesy of the American College of Cardiology and JACC.

Pericarditis, inflammation of the pericardium, accounts for approximately 5% of all emergency department evaluations for chest pain. These new recommendations are designed to help guide clinicians through the ins and outs of patient care.