Pneumococcal pericarditis: A modern approach to an old fashioned disease

Abstract

Pneumococcal pericarditis is an uncommon but serious complication of pneumococcal infection. The condition is characterised by a high mortality rate to which the difficulty in ante-mortem diagnosis is a significant contributory factor. We describe a 52 year-old woman who presented with the typical diagnostic problems of this condition; the true nature of their disease process only becoming apparent after treatment with positive pressure ventilation. 'Handheld' echocardiography was central to diagnosis and treatment. The condition was successfully managed with systemic antibiotics and an indwelling single lumen pericardial catheter.