In simple words: Dressler's syndrome is a condition where the sac around your heart gets inflamed after a heart attack, heart surgery, or chest injury.It can cause chest pain, fever, and trouble breathing.

Dressler's syndrome is a type of pericarditis, characterized by inflammation of the pericardium (the sac surrounding the heart). It typically occurs after a cardiac event, such as a myocardial infarction (heart attack), cardiac surgery, or chest trauma.The inflammation is believed to be an immune system response following damage to heart tissue.Symptoms often include chest pain similar to that experienced during a heart attack, fever, and shortness of breath.

Example 1: A patient presents several weeks after a heart attack with chest pain, fever, and shortness of breath.An echocardiogram reveals pericardial effusion. The patient is diagnosed with Dressler's syndrome and treated with NSAIDs., A patient develops chest pain and fever following cardiac bypass surgery.After ruling out other causes, Dressler's syndrome is diagnosed, and the patient is started on a course of corticosteroids., A patient experiences chest trauma in a motor vehicle accident. Weeks later, they develop symptoms consistent with pericarditis. Dressler's syndrome is considered, and further investigations are conducted to confirm the diagnosis.

Documentation for Dressler's syndrome should include evidence of a preceding cardiac event (e.g., MI, surgery, trauma), clinical findings such as chest pain, fever, and shortness of breath, and diagnostic test results such as echocardiogram or ECG findings suggestive of pericarditis.

** Dressler's syndrome is less common now due to advancements in cardiac care. However, it remains a clinically important diagnosis to consider in patients presenting with pericarditis following a cardiac event.