Drug intelligence & clinical pharmacy
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Postpericardiotomy syndrome, a frequent complication of open-heart surgery, is characterized by fever, chest pain, and pericardial and pleural effusions. These signs may develop 1 to 12 weeks after intracardiac surgery in approximately 30 percent of patients. Although the etiology of the syndrome is unknown, evidence points to a viral and/or autoimmune cause. ⋯ When the symptoms recur, management is more difficult because optimal pharmacologic treatment is not known. Antiinflammatory agents, such as salicylates and steroids, represent the drugs most commonly used. Although analgesics with codeine or oxycodone are important for the patients' symptomatic relief, early recognition of the syndrome is the key to limiting the discomfort and possible complications associated with this condition.