Dressler syndrome
From IDWiki
Background
- Post-myocardial infarction pericarditis with or without pericardial effusion
Clinical Manifestations
- Occurs 1 to 6 weeks after initial insult
- Symptoms include fever, malaise, weakness, pleuritic chest pain, irritability, poor appetite, palpitations, dyspnea, and arthralgias
- Fevers typically lower-grade but can be high-grade
- Often tachycardic and can have pericardial friction rub on auscultation
- Can be complicated by cardiac tamponade
Investigations
- Echocardiogram
- ECG can show diffuse ST elevation and T-wave inversions (as in pericarditis)
- CBC will show a leukocytosis
- Elevated ESR/CRP
- Consider pericardiocentesis for cell count and differential, Gram stain and culture, cytology, protein
Management
- NSAIDs tapered over 4 to 6 weeks
- For failure of NSAIDs, prednison, tapered over 4 weeks
- Sometimes colchicine
