Post-Cardiac Injury Syndrome (Dressler Syndrome) Following Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) Repair: A Case Report

Dressler syndrome is a type of secondary pericarditis that can be accompanied by pleural effusion or pericardial effusion resulting from injury of the pericardium or heart tissue. A 33-year-old male was admitted to the emergency department with pleuritic chest pain radiating to both shoulders and fever. Two months before the admission, the patient underwent traditional open-heart surgery with median sternotomy and pericardiectomy for atrial septal defect (ASD) closure. Blood tests showed elevated acute phase reactants (leukocytosis, high erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein). Left-sided pleural effusion was revealed on chest CT scan. Diagnosis of Dressler syndrome was established. The patient’s pleuritic chest pain and shoulder pain improved clinically with a short course of colchicine. Although Dressler syndrome is rarely seen, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pleuritic chest pain. Special attention should be paid to Dressler’s syndrome because pericarditis can develop following cardiac surgery.