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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffMild cases of Dressler's syndrome may improve without treatment. Your doctor may recommend decreasing your activity until you're feeling better.
More-severe cases require medications to reduce the inflammation around your heart. Sometimes hospitalization is necessary.
Medications to treat Dressler's syndrome include:
- Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). These drugs work by inhibiting an enzyme called cyclooxygenase (COX). This enzyme is responsible for your body's production of prostaglandins, hormone-like substances involved in inflammation and pain. NSAIDs are the most common treatment for Dressler's syndrome.
- Other pain medications. If your pain is severe, you might need stronger pain medications, such as a narcotic, for a short time.
- Corticosteroids. These drugs, which include prednisone, mimic the effects of certain hormones in your body, such as cortisone, which are produced by your adrenal glands. When an inflammatory illness strikes, additional cortisone in the form of corticosteroids helps suppress inflammation, which reduces the symptoms of Dressler's syndrome. However, corticosteroids have potential side effects, and there's a risk of rebound inflammation after you stop taking corticosteroids. Your doctor may recommend corticosteroids if NSAIDs aren't working for you.
- Colchicine. For resistant cases of Dressler's syndrome or for people who have repeated episodes of pericarditis, colchicine is another type of anti-inflammatory medication that has been effective in some cases. It's often used to treat gout.
Hospitalization sometimes necessary
If a complication develops, such as cardiac tamponade, you'll likely need hospitalization. When cardiac tamponade occurs, you may undergo a technique called pericardiocentesis. In this procedure, a doctor uses a sterile needle or a small tube (catheter) to remove and drain the excess fluid from the pericardial cavity. You'll receive a local anesthetic before undergoing pericardiocentesis, which is often done with echocardiogram and ultrasound guidance. This drainage may continue for several days during the course of your hospitalization.
Repeated episodes of Dressler's syndrome can lead to a condition called constrictive pericarditis. If you develop this complication, you may need to undergo a surgical procedure (pericardiectomy) to remove the entire pericardium that has become rigid.
