the.com/pericardium
the heart's velvet straitjacket, holding it close enough to beat but never wander.
means The pericardium is the tough, fluid-filled sac that surrounds and protects the heart, anchoring it in place and letting it beat without friction.
from From Greek 'peri-' (around) plus 'kardia' (heart) — literally 'the thing around the heart.' The same 'kardia' gives us cardiac, cardiology, and even the cordial in your drinks cabinet, all tracing back to the body's most famous muscle. Medieval Latin took the Greek 'perikardion' and passed it along to the anatomists who carved up the language of the body.
- double layer
- Two membranes with slick fluid sliding between them.
- fluid cushion
- Roughly 15 to 50 milliliters of natural lubricant inside.
- anchor duty
- Tethers the heart so it cannot flop around.
- angry version
- Inflamed, it screams sharp chest pain called pericarditis.
- deadly squeeze
- Trapped blood can choke the heart: cardiac tamponade.
dressler's syndrome — pericardial inflammation after cardiac surgery or heart attack, occurring in 10-15% of post-mi patients
constrictive pericarditis — thickened pericardium restricting heart filling, caused by tuberculosis in india and developing countries
pericardial tamponade — fluid accumulation in pericardium compressing the heart, seen in 2% of cancer patients with malignant effusions