ABSTRACT
DEFINITIONS ■ Acute pericarditis-acute, painful inflammation of the peri-
cardium that usually results in mild to moderate pericardial effusion
■ Effusive-constrictive pericarditis-recurring bouts of acute pericarditis that eventually cause pericardial thickening and constrictive physiology
■ Constrictive pericarditis-chronic pericarditis that causes global or localized thickening and loss of elasticity of the pericardium, with or without calcification, that leads to impaired ventricular filling and high intracavitary pressures, resulting in a syndrome of right-sided heart failure
■ Pericardial effusion-abnormal amount of fluid in the pericardial space (>50 mL)
■ Pericardial tamponade-acute hemodynamic compromise consisting of increased end-diastolic pressures, impediment to ventricular filling with low cardiac output, as a result of rapid and/or severe accumulation of pericardial effusion causing high intrapericardial pressures.
