RT Book, Section
A1 Sutton, Nicole
A2 Zaoutis, Lisa B.
A2 Chiang, Vincent W.
SR Print(0)
ID 1146115450
T1 Pericarditis
T2 Comprehensive Pediatric Hospital Medicine, 2e
YR 2017
FD 2017
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9780071829281
LK accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1146115450
RD 2023/03/25
AB Pericarditis  is  an  inflammation  of  the  pericardium,  a  two-layered  structure  that  surrounds  the  heart.  The  inner  layer  adheres  to  the  heart.  There  is  usually  about  15  to  35  mL  of  serous  fluid  in  the  pericardial  space.  This  fluid  provides  lubrication  during  the  contraction  of  the  heart.  The  pericardial  sac  functions  as  a  barrier  to  protect  the  heart  from  infection  from  the  lungs,  fix  the  heart  to  the  mediastinum,  prevent  extreme  dilation  of  the  heart,  equalize  compliance  between  the  right  and  left  sides  of  the  heart,  and  reduce  friction  between  the  heart  and  the  surrounding  structures.  Pericarditis  can  be  acute  or  chronic,  and  has  a  variety  of  causes.