Nursing Care Plan for Pericarditis
Also searched as: pericardial inflammation, pericardial effusion
🎓 Educational example. Adapt to your patient and have your instructor review it. Not medical advice.
⚠️ Time-critical condition. Pericarditis can deteriorate quickly. This page is a study example, not a clinical protocol: at the bedside follow your facility's policy, escalate to the provider or rapid response team, and never delay treatment to consult a study resource.
Inflammation of the sac around the heart, usually viral, causing sharp chest pain that mimics a heart attack but behaves differently: worse lying flat and on deep breaths, easier sitting up and leaning forward. Nursing care relieves the pain, supports anti-inflammatory treatment, and keeps a constant watch for the complication that changes everything: fluid compressing the heart (tamponade).
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Assessment
- Subjective: patient reports sharp, stabbing chest pain that worsens when lying down or breathing deeply and eases when sitting up and leaning forward; recent viral illness is common
- Objective: pericardial friction rub on auscultation, low-grade fever, diffuse ST changes on ECG, effusion on echocardiogram if present; blood pressure, pulse pressure and jugular veins as the tamponade watch
Nursing diagnoses
As evidenced by: sharp chest pain worse supine and on inspiration, relieved leaning forward, friction rub, elevated inflammatory markers
Risk factors: effusion on echocardiogram, narrowing pulse pressure, rising heart rate, jugular venous distension, muffled heart sounds
Goals / expected outcomes
- The patient will report chest pain controlled to their acceptable level within the treatment period.
- The patient will maintain stable blood pressure, pulse pressure and perfusion, with any signs of tamponade recognized and escalated immediately.
Nursing interventions & rationale
| Intervention | Rationale |
|---|---|
| Position upright leaning slightly forward with a bedside table for support, and help find the least painful breathing pattern. | This position separates the inflamed pericardial layers, easing pain in the way that distinguishes pericarditis from ischemic pain. |
| Give anti-inflammatory therapy (NSAIDs, colchicine) as prescribed, with food, and teach why the full course matters. | Treatment shortens the illness and cutting it short is a known driver of recurrent pericarditis. |
| Monitor for cardiac tamponade every shift and on any change: falling blood pressure with rising jugular veins and muffled heart sounds, narrowing pulse pressure, pulsus paradoxus. | Tamponade is the emergency inside this diagnosis: recognition at the earliest hemodynamic whisper is what leaves time for pericardiocentesis. |
| Keep the patient on the ordered activity restriction and explain the return-to-activity plan. | Exertion during active inflammation prolongs the illness and, in the recurrent form, restriction until symptoms and markers settle is part of the treatment itself. |
Evaluation
- Pain controlled and positioning used effectively
- No tamponade signs, or immediate escalation documented if any appear
- Patient completes the anti-inflammatory course and follows the activity plan
Sources & further reading
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Build a care plan free Preview Pro (coming soon)Pericarditis care plan: FAQ
What is the nursing diagnosis for Pericarditis?
Common nursing diagnoses include: Acute pain related to inflammation of the pericardial layers moving against each other; Risk for decreased cardiac output related to accumulation of pericardial fluid restricting ventricular filling. Choose the one your patient's assessment data supports.
What are nursing interventions for Pericarditis?
Key interventions: Position upright leaning slightly forward with a bedside table for support, and help find the least painful breathing pattern.; Give anti-inflammatory therapy (NSAIDs, colchicine) as prescribed, with food, and teach why the full course matters.; Monitor for cardiac tamponade every shift and on any change: falling blood pressure with rising jugular veins and muffled heart sounds, narrowing pulse pressure, pulsus paradoxus., each paired with a rationale.
Can I use this care plan for my assignment?
Use it as a study example and starting draft. Always adapt it to your specific patient and have it reviewed by your instructor. This is an educational tool, not medical advice.
For nursing education only, NOT medical advice and not a clinical decision-making tool. Nothing here should be used to assess, diagnose, or treat any real patient. Care plans and answers are unverified study drafts to review with your instructor or a licensed clinician and adapt to the individual patient and your institution’s protocols before any use.
Last reviewed 2026-07. Educational content based on standard nursing practice; not medical advice and not affiliated with NANDA-I/NIC/NOC. Always follow your institution's protocols and your instructor's guidance.