• DDx of Pericardial Effusion
  • Infectious: viral, Bacterial, TB
  • Traumatic: Post-cardiac surgery, AAA, penetrating
  • Malignancy: Primary and Metastatic
  • MI and Post-MI
  • Uremic
  • Myxedema
  • Post-Irradition
  • Auto-immune
  • Idiopathic
  
  

  Posted 10/27/16 09:47:02 AM by Ying Liu

• Pericardial Fluid Studies:
  • Can use Light's Criteria for pericardial fluid to distinguish exudative vs. transudative effusion (Biochem Med (Zagreb). 2014 Feb; 24(1): 123–137)
  • Adenosine deaminase (ADA) level >40 is very sensitive and specific for TB pericarditis 
  
  

  Posted 10/27/16 09:50:17 AM by Ying Liu

• Five Features that occur in the majority of patients with Tamponade 
  • Dyspnea
  • Tachycardia
  • Elevated JVP
  • Cardiomegaly on CXR
  • Pulsus Paradoxus 
  What is a pulsus and how do you measure it? (Click on link :-))
  
  

  Posted 10/27/16 09:52:09 AM by Ying Liu

• Colchicine and Acute Pericarditis
  • Looked at 240 patients with pericarditis randomized to either colchicine (0.5mg twice daily for 3 months) or placebo
  • Improves event free survival as compared to placebo 
    • Relative risk reduction in the colchicine group, 0.56; 95% confidence interval, 0.30 to 0.72
    • Number needed to treat, 4; P<0.001
  • 77% of patients had idiopathic pericarditis and 2% had tamponade
  
  

  Posted 10/27/16 09:57:04 AM by Ying Liu

Created by Christopher Kelly
The information on the website does not constitute official guidelines except where explicitly stated.
It is not meant to replace the advice of a health professional.