What is the Pericardium?
The pericardium (pair”e-KAR’de-um) is the thin sac (membrane) that surrounds the heart and the roots of the great blood vessels. What is pericarditis? Pericarditis (pair”e-kar-DI’tis) is inflammation of the pericardium. The pericardium has an inner and outer layer with a small amount of lubricating fluid between them. When the pericardium becomes inflamed, the amount of fluid between the two layers increases. This squeezes the heart and restricts its action. Who gets pericarditis and what does it feel like? This problem occurs most often in men ages 20 to 50. Chest pain is common, especially pain behind the breastbone. Sometimes this pain spreads to the neck and left shoulder. Pain from pericarditis is different from angina (AN’jih-nah or an-JI’nah). (Angina is chest pain or discomfort due to reduced blood supply to the heart muscle.) Angina feels like pressure, but pericarditis usually is a sharp, piercing pain over the center or left side of the chest. Often this pain gets worse if t
If you think of the heart as the body’s engine, then the pericardium would serve as its lubrication system, shock absorber and anchoring bolts. The pericardium is a protective sac around the heart and the roots of the major veins and arteries leading to it. The pericardium is the main reason your heart stays anchored inside the chest and doesn’t grow dangerously large under pressure. The other function of the pericardium is to provide lubrication to the heart muscle so it can pump without restriction. To accomplish this, the pericardium is actually constructed in three layers. The layer closest to the heart muscle is called the parietal pericardium. Its inner surface is very slick, allowing the heart muscle to slide easily. There is a layer of pericardial fluid between the perietal layer and the second layer, called the epicardium or visceral pericardium. The epicardium forms a tough outer seal to contain the shock-absorbing pericardial fluid. The outermost layer of the pericardium is
