Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentDoes It Go Away?
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Does It Go Away?
Pericardial effusionis when the sac around the heart, called thepericardium, fills with extra fluid.It is normal for a thin layer of fluid to be inside the pericardium. However, too much fluid around the heart can put pressure on the organ and impact its function.
This condition is relatively common. It can develop slowly and have few or no symptoms.However, in some cases, it can develop rapidly and become life-threatening. Causes include infection, inflammatory conditions, trauma, and cancer. Treatment depends on how much fluid is present and the underlying cause.
In this article, you will learn about the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatments, and prognosis of pericardial effusion.
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Pericardial Effusion Symptoms
You might experience symptoms due to the underlying cause of the pericardial effusion. For example, if an infection causes pericardial effusion, you may have a fever and chills.
Symptoms of a larger pericardial effusion that is impacting the ability of the heart to pump blood effectively include:
The time the effusion takes to develop can also influence symptoms, as follows:
Cardiac Tamponade and Cardiogenic Shock
In severe cases, pericardial effusion can lead tocardiac tamponade.Cardiac tamponade occurs when the buildup of pericardial fluid is enough to seriously compromise heart function. Cardiac tamponade is a medical emergency.
A severe effusion or cardiac tamponade can lead to the heart being unable to fill with blood to pump it out to the body. This results incardiogenic shock(extremely low blood pressure), which can lead to organ failure or death.Shock is a medical emergency requiring immediate treatment.
Signs of cardiogenic shock include:
When to Call 911If you experience pain in your chest, back, neck, or shoulder, or significant difficulty breathing, call 911 or seek immediate medical attention.
When to Call 911
If you experience pain in your chest, back, neck, or shoulder, or significant difficulty breathing, call 911 or seek immediate medical attention.
Conditions that may produce a pericardial effusion, some due to inflammation and some without inflammation, include:
Males aged 16 to 65 are at the highest risk for pericarditis, but it can happen to people of all ages.
What Is Malignant Pericardial Effusion?Malignant pericardial effusion is excess fluid around the heart due to cancer. It most often occurs with lung cancer, breast cancer, or blood cancers.
What Is Malignant Pericardial Effusion?
Malignant pericardial effusion is excess fluid around the heart due to cancer. It most often occurs with lung cancer, breast cancer, or blood cancers.
A small pericardial effusion may have no symptoms, but it might be suspected or seen with imaging if you seek medical care for another reason. If you have symptoms, a healthcare provider will perform an examination, imaging, and tests to find the cause.
Other tools to diagnose pericardial effusion include:
You may also need atroponinblood test to check your heart for muscle damage.Troponin is a protein in the heart muscles but not in the blood. If troponin is in your blood, it indicates that your heart muscle has some damage. Higher levels of troponin mean more severe heart damage.
Additional tests that your healthcare provider may order include:
How Do You Treat Pericardial Effusion?
The most important step in treating pericardial effusion is identifying and treating the underlying cause. Depending on the cause, a small pericardial effusion can go away on its own.A healthcare provider may opt to monitor it while treating any underlying conditions.
A healthcare provider may usenonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), steroids, andcolchicine medicationto reduce swelling in the pericardium. If an underlying bacterial infection causes the pericardial effusion, the first line of treatment may be antibiotics.
If the fluid around the heart is impeding its function, draining the fluid using a needle (pericardiocentesis) is often performed. The fluid can be further analyzed to determine the underlying cause. This procedure might need to be repeated if more fluid accumulates.
In some cases, surgery may create a window in the pericardium so the fluid can drain internally rather than pool in the pericardium.
Does Pericardial Effusion Go Away?
Pericardial effusion can be mild to severe, depending on the cause. Outcomes are good for viral or idiopathic (cause unknown) pericarditis if the condition is treated right away.After treatment begins, most people recover in two weeks to three months.
When pericardial effusion is severe or goes untreated, heart tissue may become damaged, causing a condition calledrestrictive pericarditis, which can cause long-term issues with heart function.For those treated for acute pericarditis or pericardial effusion, about 30% will develop the condition again.
The prognosis is poor for people with fungal or bacterial pericarditis or pericardial effusion due to advanced cancer.
Summary
Pericardial effusion is when the sac around the heart, called the pericardium, fills with excess fluid. If left untreated, it can impact heart function. There are various possible causes for this condition. Your healthcare provider may use specific techniques, tests, or imaging to make a diagnosis.
Depending on the severity of the pericardial effusion, it may go away without treatment, require medication, draining, or, in severe cases, surgery. The prognosis for pericardial effusion is good if its idiopathic or viral pericarditis. If treated early, most people will recover within a few weeks. However, the prognosis is poor for people with bacterial or fungal pericarditis or malignant pericardial effusion.
10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Pérez-Casares A, Cesar S, Brunet-Garcia L, Sanchez-de-Toledo J.Echocardiographic evaluation of pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade.Frontiers in Pediatrics. 2017;5. doi:10.3389/fped.2017.00079National Cancer Institute.Pericardial effusion.Yamani N, Abbasi A, Almas T, Mookadam F, Unzek S.Diagnosis, treatment, and management of pericardial effusion- review.Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2022;80:104142. doi:10.1016/j.amsu.2022.104142UT Southwestern Medical Center.Pericardial effusion.Cedars Sinai.Pericardial effusion.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Heart inflammation symptoms.MedlinePlus.Pericarditis.American Heart Association.What is pericarditis?University of Washington Department of Medicine.Techniques: heart sounds & murmurs.MedlinePlus.Troponin test.
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Pérez-Casares A, Cesar S, Brunet-Garcia L, Sanchez-de-Toledo J.Echocardiographic evaluation of pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade.Frontiers in Pediatrics. 2017;5. doi:10.3389/fped.2017.00079National Cancer Institute.Pericardial effusion.Yamani N, Abbasi A, Almas T, Mookadam F, Unzek S.Diagnosis, treatment, and management of pericardial effusion- review.Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2022;80:104142. doi:10.1016/j.amsu.2022.104142UT Southwestern Medical Center.Pericardial effusion.Cedars Sinai.Pericardial effusion.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Heart inflammation symptoms.MedlinePlus.Pericarditis.American Heart Association.What is pericarditis?University of Washington Department of Medicine.Techniques: heart sounds & murmurs.MedlinePlus.Troponin test.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Pérez-Casares A, Cesar S, Brunet-Garcia L, Sanchez-de-Toledo J.Echocardiographic evaluation of pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade.Frontiers in Pediatrics. 2017;5. doi:10.3389/fped.2017.00079National Cancer Institute.Pericardial effusion.Yamani N, Abbasi A, Almas T, Mookadam F, Unzek S.Diagnosis, treatment, and management of pericardial effusion- review.Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2022;80:104142. doi:10.1016/j.amsu.2022.104142UT Southwestern Medical Center.Pericardial effusion.Cedars Sinai.Pericardial effusion.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Heart inflammation symptoms.MedlinePlus.Pericarditis.American Heart Association.What is pericarditis?University of Washington Department of Medicine.Techniques: heart sounds & murmurs.MedlinePlus.Troponin test.
Pérez-Casares A, Cesar S, Brunet-Garcia L, Sanchez-de-Toledo J.Echocardiographic evaluation of pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade.Frontiers in Pediatrics. 2017;5. doi:10.3389/fped.2017.00079
National Cancer Institute.Pericardial effusion.
Yamani N, Abbasi A, Almas T, Mookadam F, Unzek S.Diagnosis, treatment, and management of pericardial effusion- review.Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2022;80:104142. doi:10.1016/j.amsu.2022.104142
UT Southwestern Medical Center.Pericardial effusion.
Cedars Sinai.Pericardial effusion.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Heart inflammation symptoms.
MedlinePlus.Pericarditis.
American Heart Association.What is pericarditis?
University of Washington Department of Medicine.Techniques: heart sounds & murmurs.
MedlinePlus.Troponin test.
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