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Pericarditis - Bacterial
Alternate Names : Purulent Pericarditis
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Diagnosis & Tests
When listening to the heart through a stethoscope, the health care provider may be able to hear a pericardial rubbing sound, and heart sounds may be faint or distant. There may be other signs of fluid in the pericardium (pericardial effusion).
If the disorder is severe, there may be signs of fluid in the space around the lungs (pleural effusion), such as decreased breath sounds. The person may appear toxic (septic shock) and critically ill. There may be signs of associated pneumonia.
Doctors may suspect this disorder when one of the following tests shows an abnormal amount of fluid in the pericardial sac:
This condition is diagnosed when the fluid around the pericardial sac is shown to be infected with bacteria. The following tests help doctors make this diagnosis
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• Definition
• Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
• Symptoms & Signs
• Diagnosis & Tests
• Treatment
• Prognosis
• Complications
• Pictures & Images
Topics that might be of interest to you Diseases & Conditions
• Cardiac Tamponade
• Heart Failure
• Pericarditis
• Pleural Effusion
• Pneumonia
• Pulmonary Edema
• Septic Shock
Tests & Exams
• Blood Culture
• CBC
• Chest MRI
• Chest X-Ray
• Echocardiogram
• Pericardial Fluid Culture
• Pericardial Fluid Gram Stain
• Pericardiocentesis
• Thoracic CT
• WBC Count
Other Topics
• Breath Sounds
• Breathing Difficulty
• Chest Pain
• Chronic
• Cough
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Heart Murmurs and Other Sounds
• Pain Medications
• Respiratory
• Stress and Anxiety
• Sweating - Excessive
Review Date : 11/11/2002
Reviewed By : Thippeswamy H. Murthy, M.D., Division of Cardiology, Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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