Dressler's Syndrome, (Postpericardiotomy Syndrome) A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions

by Kenneth Kee

Overview

Dressler's syndrome (or postpericardiotomy syndrome) is classified as a form of pericarditis, inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart.
The inflammation is thought to be a response of the immune system after a traumatic injury or damage to the heart tissue such as from a heart attack or open heart surgery.
Dressler’s syndrome is less frequent that it used to be
Two forms of pericarditis can happen after a heart attack:
Early pericarditis:
This is a disorder that normally happens within 1 to 3 days after a heart attack.
When the body attempts to clean and heal the diseased heart tissue, swelling and inflammation happen.
Late pericarditis (Dressler’s syndrome)
This is a disorder that normally happens several weeks or months after a heart attack, open heart surgery, or other chest trauma
Dressler’s syndrome is thought to be caused by the immune system wrongly attacking healthy heart tissue.
This is customary a post-myocardial infarction syndrome, normally happening two to five weeks after the early event but it can be delayed for as long as three months.
Dressler’s syndrome has typical features such as:
1. Pleuritic chest pain,
2. Low-grade fever and
3. Pericarditis (autopsy shows localized fibrinous pericarditis), together with pericardial effusion.
It is likely to follow a benign medical course.
Dressler's syndrome has been observed after heart surgery, percutaneous intervention, pacemaker implantation, radiofrequency ablation and pulmonary vein isolation
Causes
When the heart tissue is injured, the body responses to damaged tissue by sending immune cells and proteins called antibodies to clean and heal the injured area
Occasionally the reaction from the immune system produces excessive inflammation in the sac surrounding the heart, producing Dressler’s syndrome.
Risk factors
If a person has had a prior episode of Dressler’s syndrome, it is more likely to occur again.
It appears more likely to happen after a large infarct.
Symptoms
Symptoms of Dressler’s syndrome tend to occur 2-5 weeks or three months after a heart attack, open heart surgery or other chest trauma.
It normally manifests two to five weeks after the early episode, with pain and fever that may indicate further infarction.
The pain is the primary symptom, often in the left shoulder, often pleuritic, and worse on lying down.
There may be fatigue, fever and shortness of breath.
Infrequently, it may induce cardiac tamponade or acute pneumonitis.
The sound of pericardial friction rub may be heard with the stethoscope.
The normal sound of pericarditis is expressed as like the sound of boots walking over fresh snow.
Diagnosis
Dressler’s syndrome is diagnosed by the presence of:
Postcardiotomy pleuritic chest pain,
Low-grade fever and pericarditis
Serology may show heart autoantibodies.
ECG may show ST elevation in most leads without reciprocal ST depression, typical of pericardial effusion.
Echocardiography shows pericardial effusion.
MRI scan may show an effusion and, recently, has been shown to reveal pericardial involvement
CXR shows pleural effusions in 83%, parenchymal opacities in 74%, and an enlarged cardiac silhouette in 49%.
Treatment
1. Aspirin may be given in large doses.
2. Other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or corticosteroids may be given, particularly if there are severe and recurrent symptoms.
3. Steroids are especially valuable where severe symptoms require pericardiocentesis, and when infection has been ruled out.
In resistant or repeat occurrences, colchicine may be helpful.
If there is considerable pericardial effusion, then pericardiocentesis, requiring aspiration of the fluid, may be needed to alleviate the constriction on the heart.
TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Dressler’s Syndrome
Chapter 2 Causes
Chapter 3 Symptoms
Chapter 4 Diagnosis
Chapter 5 Treatment
Chapter 6 Prognosis
Chapter 7 Pericarditis
Chapter 8 Coronary Heart Disease
Epilogue

Product Details

BN ID:	2940154598368
Publisher:	Kenneth Kee
Publication date:	10/24/2017
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
File size:	122 KB

About the Author

Medical doctor since 1972. Started Kee Clinic in 1974 at 15 Holland Dr #03-102, relocated to 36 Holland Dr #01-10 in 2009. Did my M.Sc (Health Management ) in 1991 and Ph.D (Healthcare Administration) in 1993. Dr Kenneth Kee is still working as a family doctor at the age of 65. However he has reduced his consultation hours to 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. He first started writing free blogs on medical conditions seen in the clinic in 2007 on http://kennethkee.blogspot.com. His purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of his patients which is also his dissertation for his Ph.D (Healthcare Administration). He then wrote an autobiolographical account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.com. This autobiolographical account “A Family Doctor’s Tale” was combined with his early “A Simple Guide to Medical Conditions” into a new Wordpress Blog “A Family Doctor’s Tale” on http://ken-med.com. From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 550 amazon kindle books and some into Smashwords.com eBooks. He apologized for typos and spelling mistakes in his earlier books. He will endeavor to improve the writing in futures. Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple. For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients. The later books go into more details of medical conditions. The first chapter of all my ebooks is always taken from my blog A Simple Guide to Medical Conditions which was started in 2007 as a simple educational help to my patients on my first blog http://kennethkee.blogspot.com. The medical condition was described simply and direct to the point. Because the simple guide as taken from the blog was described as too simple, I have increased the other chapters to include more detailed description of the illness, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. As a result there are the complaints by some readers of constant repetitions of the same contents but in detail and fairly up to date. He has published 550 eBooks on various subjects on health, 1 autobiography of his medical journey, another on the autobiography of a Cancer survivor, 2 children stories and one how to study for his nephew and grand-daughter. The purpose of these simple guides is to educate patient on health conditions and not meant as textbooks. He does not do any night duty since 2000 ever since Dr Tan had his second stroke. His clinic is now relocated to the Bouna Vista Community Centre. The 2 units of his original clinic are being demolished to make way for a new Shopping Mall. He is now doing some blogging and internet surfing (bulletin boards since the 1980's) starting with the Apple computer and going to PC. All the PC is upgraded by himself from XT to the present Pentium duo core. The present Intel i7 CPU is out of reach at the moment because the CPU is still expensive. He is also into DIY changing his own toilet cistern and other electric appliance. His hunger for knowledge has not abated and he is a lifelong learner. The children have all grown up and there are 2 grandchildren who are even more technically advanced than the grandfather where mobile phones are concerned. This book is taken from some of the many articles in his blog (now with 740 posts) A Family Doctor’s Tale. Dr Kee is the author of: "A Family Doctor's Tale" "Life Lessons Learned From The Study And Practice Of Medicine" "Case Notes From A Family Doctor"