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Pericarditis:

  • Pericarditis simply refers to inflammation of pericardium- outer layer of heart.
  • It may be acute or chronic in nature.
  • Pericarditis may be traumatic, fibrinous, effusive or adhesive depending on nature of inflammation.
  • Traumatic pericarditis is widely prevalent in cattle due to higher incidence of ingestion of foreign objects in grass or straw.

 

Types of pericarditis:

  1. Traumatic pericarditis:
  • It occurs most commonly in cattle
  • It is caused by trauma to pericardium due to perforation of pericardial sac due to ingestion of foreign material
  • This type of pericarditis is also recorded in horse and lamb, but are uncommon.

 

  1. Effusive pericarditis:
  • It is common form of acquired cardiovascular disease in dogs, uncommon in cattle and rare in cats.
  • It is characterized by accumulation of protein rich fluid within pericardial sac.

 

  1. Fibrinous pericarditis:
  • In this type of pericarditis, fluid is replaced by fibrin. In chronic inflammatory process, fibrin starts to deposit around pericardium resulting in fibrinous pericarditis.
  • It is also known as adhesive pericarditis.
  • Parietal and visceral surface of pericardial sac gets adhesive.

Etiology:

  • Trauma, injury, surgical incision
  • Extension of infection from myocardium, pleurisy
  • Bacterial infection:
    • Cattle: Mannheimia hemolytica, black disease, Haemophilus spp, Tuberculosis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Mycoplasma spp, Klebsiella pneumonia, Actinobacillus suis
    • Horses: Streptococcus equi, S. zooepidemicus, S. faecalis, Tuberculosis, Corneybacterium pseudotuberculosis, Actinobacillus equi,
    • Sheep and goat: Pasteurella spp, Staphylococcus aureus, Mycoplasma spp
    • Pigs: Pasteurellosis, Mycoplasma spp. especially Mycoplasma hyorhinis, Haemophilus spp. – Glasser’s disease and pleuropneumonia, Streptococcus spp., Salmonellosis
  • Viral infection: EHV-1 infection, Feline infectious peritonitis, Canine distemper
  • Fungal infection: Actinomycosis, coccidiodiomycosis

 

Clinical Findings:

  • In early stages, there is
    • pain,
    • avoidance of movement,
    • abduction of elbows,
    • arching of back,
    • shallow abdominal respiration
  • Pain is evident on percussion or firm palpation over cardiac area of chest wall
  • Animal lies down carefully to avoid pain
  • Pericardial friction sound is heard on auscultation which is replaced by muffled heart sounds later during effusion period
  • Elevated temperature; 103-106°F
  • Increased pulse rate
  • If gas is present, each cardiac cycle is accompanied by splashing sounds on auscultation
  • In second stage, there is marked increase in heart rate, severe toxemia, signs of congestive heart failure; edema of brisket region, marked jugular pulse, starts to develop.
  • Animals usually die in secondary stage of pericarditis

 

Laboratory Findings:

  • Marked leukocytosis and neutrophilia
  • Hyperglobulinemia

 

Diagnosis:

  • On basis of history and clinical findings
  • On basis of laboratory findings
  • Cytological examination of pericardial fluid
  • ECG findings; sinus tachycardia, diminished amplitude of QRS complex,
  • Radiography of thoracic region
  • Echocardiography; most valuable aid in diagnosis, will show excessive fluid present in pericardial sac

 

 

 

 

Differential Diagnosis:

  • Disease should be differentiated with;
    • Pleuritis
    • Cardiac valvular disease
    • Mediastinal abscess15
    • Hydropericardium occurs in congestive
    • heart failure, mulberry heart disease of pigs, herztod of pigs, gossypol poisoning,
    • Clostridial intoxications of sheep
    • Lymphomatosis

 

Treatment:

  • Animals should be kept at rest.
  • Broad spectrum antibiotics should be used based on susceptibility of organism cultured from pericardial fluid
  • Combination of penicillin and gentamicin is commonly used to treat this condition.
  • Pericardiocentesis; copious lavage with warmed 0.9% NaCl solution and drainage should be conducted as possible to relieve pressure form pericardium.
  • Corticosteroid therapy or aggressive NSAID therapy is beneficial.
  • Salt free diet should be provided.
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