COVID-19 constrictive pericarditis.

COVID-19 has been reported to affect a variety of organs. We report a case of constrictive pericarditis in a patient who had contracted the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Other possible causes such as tuberculosis and metabolic causes were considered, but excluded by special investigations.

Effusive-constrictive pericarditis, hepatitis, and pancreatitis in a patient with possible coxsackievirus B infection: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Coxsackie B is a viral pathogen that presents with various invasive diseases in adults. Historically, the majority of adult cases with pericarditis or myocarditis have been attributed to coxsackievirus B. The presentation of this viral infection causing effusive-constrictive pericarditis, hepatitis or pancreatitis is rare. This case report is the first to describe a patient with concomitant effusive-constrictive pericarditis, hepatitis and pancreatitis from possible coxsackievirus B infection. CASE PRESENTATION: A 26-year old female was admitted to our hospital with the diagnosis of effusive-constrictive pericarditis complicated by tamponade and cardiac arrest. An emergent pericardiocentesis was performed successfully. Hepatitis and pancreatitis were also identified in our patient. After an extensive workup, coxsackievirus B infection was suspected by positive serum complement fixation antibody titers. Our patient made a full recovery and was discharged from the hospital. CONCLUSION: Clinical suspicion of effusive-constrictive pericarditis with tamponade from coxsackievirus B should be considered in patients presenting with chest pain, dyspnea, jugular venous distention, hypotension, ST segment elevation on electrocardiogram, and ventricular interdependence with septal shift during diastole on transthoracic echocardiogram. Initial diagnoses of effusive-constrictive pericarditis resembling cardiac tamponade, hepatitis and pancreatitis can be challenging, and this case highlights the need for healthcare professionals to be cognizant of the association between these unusual clinical presentations and coxsackievirus B infection.

Constrictive pericarditis requiring pericardiectomy at Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa: causes and perioperative outcomes in the HIV era (1990-2012).

OBJECTIVE: The causes of constrictive pericarditis and predictors of perioperative outcome after pericardiectomy have not been clearly elucidated, especially in Africa, where the disease characteristics differ from those in developed countries. Furthermore, the effect of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) on pericardial constriction and outcomes after surgery is unknown. We investigated the causes of constrictive pericarditis, outcomes after pericardiectomy, and predictors of mortality in Cape Town, South Africa, during a 22-year period of high HIV/AIDS prevalence. METHODS: A retrospective review of the medical records of all patients who had undergone pericardiectomy for constrictive pericarditis at Groote Schuur Hospital from January 1, 1990 to December 31, 2012 was performed. RESULTS: Of 121 patients, 36 (29.8%) had proven tuberculosis, 74 (61.2%) had presumed tuberculosis, 6 (5%) had idiopathic causes, and 5 (4%) had miscellaneous causes of constrictive pericarditis. Seventeen patients (14%) died perioperatively with low cardiac output syndrome the main cause of mortality. On multivariable analysis, serum sodium (hazard ratio, 0.88; 95% confidence interval, 0.80-0.97; P = .009) and preoperative New York Heart Association class IV (hazard ratio, 3.42; 95% confidence interval, 1.29-9.08; P = .014; vs combined class I-III) were independent predictors of early mortality. Of the 121 patients, 14 (11.6%) were HIV positive, with a mean CD4 cell count of 284 ± 133 cells/µL. No early deaths occurred in the HIV-positive patients. CONCLUSIONS: Tuberculosis is the main cause of constrictive pericarditis in South Africa. Despite its efficacy at relieving the symptoms of heart failure, pericardiectomy is associated with high perioperative mortality that was not influenced by HIV status. New York Heart Association functional class IV and hyponatremia predict for early mortality after pericardiectomy.

Acute viral myopericarditis presenting as a transient effusive-constrictive pericarditis caused by coinfection with coxsackieviruses A4 and B3.

Acute myopericarditis is usually caused by viral infections, and the most common cause of viral myopericarditis is coxsackieviruses. Diagnosis of myopericarditis is made based on clinical manifestations of myocardial (such as myocardial dysfunction and elevated serum cardiac enzyme levels) and pericardial (such as inflammatory pericardial effusion) involvement. Although endomyocardial biopsy is the gold standard for the confirmation of viral infection, serologic tests can be helpful. Conservative management is the mainstay of treatment in acute myopericarditis. We report here a case of a 24-year-old man with acute myopericarditis who presented with transient effusive-constrictive pericarditis. Echocardiography showed transient pericardial effusion with constrictive physiology and global regional wall motion abnormalities of the left ventricle. The patient also had an elevated serum troponin I level. A computed tomogram of the chest showed pericardial and pleural effusion, which resolved after 2 weeks of supportive treatment. Serologic testing revealed coxsackievirus A4 and B3 coinfection. The patient received conservative medical treatment, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and he recovered completely with no complications.

Medical therapy of pericardial diseases: part I: idiopathic and infectious pericarditis.

The treatment of pericardial diseases is largely empirical because of the relative lack of randomized trials compared with other cardiovascular diseases. The main forms of pericardial diseases that can be encountered in the clinical setting include acute and recurrent pericarditis, pericardial effusion with or without cardiac tamponade, and constrictive pericarditis. Medical treatment should be targeted at the cause of the disease as much as possible. However, the cause of pericardial diseases may be varied and depends on the prevalence of specific diseases (especially tuberculosis). The search for an etiology is often inconclusive, and most cases are classified as idiopathic in developed countries where tuberculosis is relatively rare, whereas a tuberculous etiology is often presumed in developing countries where tuberculosis is endemic. The aim of the present article is to review current medical therapy for pericardial diseases, highlighting recent significant advances in clinical research, ongoing challenges and unmet needs. Following a probabilistic approach, the most common causes are considered (idiopathic, viral, tuberculous, purulent, connective tissue diseases and neoplastic pericardial disease). In this article, the therapy of idiopathic and more common forms of infectious pericarditis (viral and bacterial) is reviewed.

Recurrent pain without objective evidence of disease in patients with previous idiopathic or viral acute pericarditis.

Recurrent pain without clinical evidence of acute pericarditis was recorded in 27 of 275 patients (9.8%; mean age 55.6 +/- 16.0 years, female/male ratio 20/7) with previous viral or idiopathic acute pericarditis. Female gender (odds ratio [OR] 4.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.8 to 10.6), previous use of corticosteroids (OR 5.2, 95% CI 2.2 to 12.3), and previous recurrent pericarditis (OR 3.7, 95% CI 1.3 to 10.2) were identified as risk factors for this syndrome. After a mean follow-up of 40 months, a higher recurrence rate was recorded in these patients (33.3% vs 14.1%; p = 0.02) as well as a nonsignificant trend to a higher rate of constrictive pericarditis.