Heart in the ‘jaws’ of a constrictor, unusual cause of subacute right heart failure

BACKGROUND: Constrictive Pericarditis(CP) can be viewed as a constellation of syndromes resulting from compression of the heart, etiologies, course and types are well discussed in other reports. However, localized CP as a cause of right heart failure is rare, and presentation with interposed fluid under-pressure is extremely odd. CASE REPORT: A case of C.X. Z, male aged 39 years old, who presented to our department with sudden onset of symptoms of subacute right heart failure due localized CP. In January, 2018 C.X.Z presented to the county hospital with complaints of 10-day history of transient mild bilateral pedal edema. He was managed on diuretic therapy and symptoms resolved completely. 10 months later, he suddenly presented to the local facility with symptoms of subacute right heart failure. 7 days after on-set of symptoms, his condition shifted from NYHA I to III-IV. Although wake-up chest radiography appeared normal, standard medical therapy yielded no positives results. He was referred to our hospital, upon which after echocardiography and computed tomography investigations, aforementioned diagnosis was made. We performed off-pump partial pericardiectomy with no complications. After operation, he received analgesics and diuretics for pain and edema(ascites) respectively. He was discharged 7-days after operation on analgesics only, with no symptoms of right heart failure. CONCLUSION: Localized constrictive pericarditis as a cause of subacute right heart failure (RHF) has never been reported elsewhere, and presentation with interposed fluid is extremely odd. Progressive symptoms of Acute RHF in the absence of typical radiologic clue ‘egg-shell’ should heighten suspicion index of CP. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13019-019-0916-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.