Monthly Archives: January 2015

Monthly Case – Uremic Pericarditis

Feb case safe view The case was of a middle aged man treated with intravenous antiobiotics for a skin and muscle abscess which developed after an operation. The patient died suddenly months after the abscess healed. The normal organ is seen on the right.

Discussion: The patient developed kidney failure as a result of toxicity from intravenous antibiotics. The patient required short term dialysis. He was recovering from his kidney failure when he died suddenly. The metabolic and possibly immunologic consequences of kidney failure had taken a toll on the heart, although the kidneys themselves were recovering. Uremic pericarditis is a known but poorly understood complication of kidney failure. “Uremic” means “related to kidney failure.” The heart is covered in fibrin (a blood protein) and inflammation and had begun to scar onto the surrounding sac (pericardium). “Pericarditis” means “inflammation of the pericardium.”