Papers of the Week

Pericarditis accounts for up to 5% of patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain and has an incidence of 28 cases per 100,000 person-years. Patients with pericarditis may present with chest pain, pericardial friction rub, electrocardiographic abnormalities, or pericardial effusion, and complications can be severe. Symptoms may recur after the initial episode in up to 50% of patients. While non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are a major component of therapy for pericarditis, colchicine has been increasingly utilized and was recommended as first-line therapy by the 2015 European Society for Cardiology guidelines..