Study note
Medicine
Cardiology
Pericarditis: effusion types and their associations
THE CONTEXT
All forms of pericarditis
may produce a pericardial effusion. The character of the fluid depends on the aetiology, which may sometimes remain unclear.
Types of pericardial fluid
•
Fibrinous exudate:
This may eventually lead to varying degrees of adhesion formation.
•
Serous pericarditis:
This often produces a large effusion of turbid, straw-coloured fluid with a high protein content.
•
Haemorrhagic effusion:
This is often associated with malignant disease, particularly carcinoma of the breast or bronchus and lymphoma.
•
Purulent pericarditis:
This is rare and may complicate sepsis, spread directly from an intrathoracic infection, or follow a penetrating injury.
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