Usefulness of a pericardial friction rub after thrombolytic therapy during acute myocardial infarction in predicting amount of myocardial damage

Abstract

To evaluate the clinical incidence and outcomes of patients with pericarditis after thrombolytic therapy, 810 patients were prospectively studied during acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Pericarditis was defined as the presence of a pericardial friction rub during the hospital course. Only 5% of patients developed a rub during AMI, a low percent compared with that in the prethrombolytic era. A pericardial friction rub more often occurred in the setting of an anterior wall AMI. Patients with, compared to those without, a pericardial friction rub had lower ejection fractions (45 vs 51%, P = 0.002); worse regional left ventricular function (-3.2 vs 2.7, standard deviation per chord); higher in-hospital mortality (15 vs 6%, P = 0.056); a higher frequency of power failure (83 vs 57%); a higher frequency of anterior wall location of the AMI (53% of cases, P = 0.002); and a higher frequency of 3-vessel disease. Therefore, although the frequency of a pericardial friction rub was low (5%) compared with that in the prethrombolytic era, its occurrence denotes more extensive myocardial damage with a worse clinical outcome. Perhaps with successful reperfusion of the infarct-related vessel, transmural myocardial necrosis is prevented and with it the development of pericarditis. Cardiac tamponade did not occur clinically in any patient who developed a pericardial friction rub.