Fluid in the pericardium - what is it?

Fluid in the heart accumulates against the background of pericarditis, which is a disease characterized by the development of an inflammatory process that develops in the lining of the heart.

The disease itself proceeds quite hard, and the chronization of the process in the absence of timely treatment is fraught with serious complications, not excluding the operation.

Otherwise, the consequences can be quite serious.

Cardiac tamponade

Fluid in the pericardium is called tamponade.

Such patients need urgent medical care (in the form of surgery). With the gradual course of the underlying disease, before starting treatment, it is supposed to conduct an examination, thereby pushing back the possible consequences and the likelihood of surgery.

The clinic is:

1. The inner shell of the cardiac cavity contains serous fluid, the amount of which should not exceed 30 ml.
2. It is connected to the heart, performs a protective function and minimizes the consequences - friction of the heart muscle.
3. It is the liquid that is designed to ensure the sliding of the sheets of the pericardium.
4. Its accumulation of more than 30 ml, accompanied by fibrotic changes in the sheets of the pericardium, and leads to the development of an inflammatory process in the heart sac.
5. This entails physiological violations of the functional characteristics of the heart.

Causes of pericarditis and fluid accumulation in the heart

The consequences of pericarditis of the heart cavity are expressed in the formation of fluid in the heart cavity.

The disease often occurs against the background of viral infectious diseases, among which the following causes are distinguished:

• ischemic heart disease;
• pneumonia;
• development of autoimmune processes and tumors;
• allergic reactions;
• pathological processes developing in the connective tissue.

In healthy people, fluid in the pericardium is always normal. As the pathology develops in the cardiac cavity, exudative processes intensify, the production of protein compounds in the blood increases. The course of the disease is accompanied by an inflammatory process of the heart bag. This leads to external compression of the organ as a result of an increase in pressure and to the formation of adhesions during the deposition of fibrin.

As a result of the above processes, heart failure develops, which occurs, accompanied by a decrease in the efficiency of contractions of the heart muscle.

The main symptoms of pericarditis

The development of pericarditis has such consequences as the accumulation of fluid in the cavity of the heart, often occurs as a disease with an independent course, although its occurrence against the background of other pathologies is not excluded. Signs of this disease, regardless of the severity and form of manifestations, are expressed by similar symptoms.

The most common complaints from patients are:

• pain in the chest area;
• the occurrence of shortness of breath;
• heart rhythm disorder;
• pericardial friction noises;
• general weakness;
• fever;
• bouts of dry cough.

Pericarditis can be expressed in two forms:

1. Acute.
2. Chronic.

The forms differ in the nature and duration of the course.

Pericarditis in children

Symptoms of pericarditis of the cardiac cavity can appear in a child in infancy. As a rule, their occurrence is due to a staphylococcal or streptococcal infection, which causes ailments such as tonsillitis, sepsis, and so on. Treatment of the disease in this case is aimed not only at stopping the main symptoms, but also at eliminating the root cause. At an older age, signs of pericarditis of the heart cavity may appear if the child has viral infections, arthritis, arthrosis, and other diseases affecting the connective tissue.

Causes of children's pericarditis:

• blood diseases;
• beriberi;
• functional disorders of the thyroid gland;
• tumors of the cardiac cavity, including the pericardium;
• heredity;
• drug therapy;
• hormonal disbalance.

Probably the development of rare pathological forms that develop in a child against the background of nephritis. In addition, the process tends to be aggravated with weakened immunity. Diagnosis in children is somewhat more complicated than in adults. Therefore, it is recommended to use a cardiovisor - a device that allows you to conduct high-quality diagnostics and identify the causes of the development of cardiac pathologies in children.

The duration of the course of treatment is directly dependent on the form and severity of the disease, clinical symptoms and individual characteristics of the child's body.

Diagnosis and treatment of pericarditis in adults

Treatment of pericarditis in adults is carried out after a qualitative diagnosis, which involves not only an examination and questioning of the patient, but also an examination.

Such patients are:

• ECG;
• echocardiography;
• chest x-ray.

After that, they are assigned a clinical blood test to determine the degree of the inflammatory process. During an external examination of the patient, attention is focused on the condition of the veins of the neck, the degree of swelling of the legs. The cardiogram is designed to determine segmental ST elevation. The study reveals changes in the heart muscle and pericardial sac, as well as the presence of effusion and associated disorders of cardiovascular activity. X-rays are taken to observe changes in the size and shape of the heart muscle.

It is considered very appropriate to use a cardiovisor, which allows you to detect even small deviations of the myocardium. After that, the treatment is much easier.

Methods for eliminating pathology are directly dependent on the severity of the disease.

In order to achieve a pronounced effect, nonsteroidal drugs can be prescribed that stop the active inflammatory process:

1. Ibuprofen is well suited for this - a remedy with virtually no side effects. In addition, the drug has a beneficial effect on blood flow.
2. If the course of pericarditis occurs against the background of ischemia, Diclofenac is prescribed. As for Indomethacin, it belongs to the category of the third row.

In parallel with non-steroids, a course is prescribed aimed at maintaining and protecting the gastrointestinal tract and preventing the possible development of a stomach ulcer.

After the first fourteen days, the treatment regimen is subject to correction. Therapy continues until complete recovery. With the disappearance of severe symptoms, the doses of drugs are gradually reduced, leading them to cancellation.

Follow-up of the patient after treatment helps to avoid relapses.

Treatment of cardiac tamponade

Tamponade is a life-threatening condition for the patient; an operation is indicated here to urgently remove pericardial fluid from the pericardial cavity. Hemodynamic support is provided through infusion therapy, which involves the introduction of blood plasma, the use of nootropic drugs.

Treatment with surgery includes:

1. The operation or puncture of the pericardium is controlled by fluoroscopy under constant monitoring.
2. Relief of the patient's condition becomes already noticeable after the evacuation of fluid from the cavity of the heart in the amount of 30 ml or more.
3. After surgery to eliminate the effusion, antibiotics, sclerosing drugs and hormones are usually introduced into the pericardial cavity.
4. In order to prevent recurrence, the outflow of fluid is provided through drainage.

Treatment of pericarditis of any degree is considered nothing more than prophylaxis, preventing the formation of fluid in the heart, is mandatory. Undetected tamponade leads to cardiac arrest and death.