Case Report and Review of Management of Penetrating Trauma and Cardiac Pericarditis.

Acute pericarditis is the most common form of pericardial disease worldwide and it has many potential etiologies. This case study examines a patient admitted for multiple gunshot wounds who developed acute pericarditis postpericardial drain removal. The initial penetrating abdominal trauma, along with facial injuries and a suspected myocardial infarction, led to confusion in which the initial etiology of pericarditis was missed, creating a delay in overall patient care and extended length of stay.