Loading...
Acute pericarditis, although not common in the U.S. or Europe, often prompts a full diagnostic evaluation and hospitalization. Roughly 80% to 90% of cases in immunocompetent patients are either viral or idiopathic. Identification of a low-risk population of patients with pericarditis could make exclusively outpatient care feasible for them, potentially reducing costs. In a prospective cohort study, researchers assessed the clinical utility of previously proposed indicators of poor prognosis in acute pericarditis.
A total of 453 patients (age range, 17–90) were enrolled from 1996 to 2004. A specific cause (e.g., neoplastic, autoimmune, tuberculous) was identified in only 16.8% of patients. During a mean follow-up of 31 months, complications w…