title: Post-cardiac injury syndromes. An emerging cause of pericardial diseases.
abstract: The term "post-cardiac injury syndromes" includes post-myocardial infarction pericarditis, post-pericardiotomy syndrome, and post-traumatic pericarditis (iatrogenic, i.e. after percutaneous coronary or intracardiac interventions, such as pacemaker lead insertion, radiofrequency ablation, or non-iatrogenic, i.e. following blunt or penetrating trauma). All these conditions represent different clinical conditions characterized by an initial cardiac injury involving the pericardium/myocardium and/or pleura and the subsequent inflammatory syndrome ranging from simple, uncomplicated pericarditis to more complicated cases with pleuropericarditis, cardiac tamponade or massive pleural effusion. The etiopathogenesis is presumed to be immune-mediated in predisposed individuals that develop autoreactive reactions following the initial traumatic event. Treatment is essentially based on empirical anti-inflammatory therapy and adjunctive colchicine, which has been shown to be safe and efficacious for the prevention of pericarditis.
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, Maria Vittoria Hospital, Torino, Italy. Electronic address: massimo_imazio@yahoo.it.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Imazio
authors.forename: Brian D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Hoit
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D010492:Pericardiectomy / Q000009:adverse effects; D020519:Pericardiocentesis / Q000009:adverse effects; D010493:Pericarditis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D010496:Pericardium / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery