Treatment

The goals of treatment for Dressler syndrome are to manage pain and reduce inflammation. Treatment may involve medications and, if complications occur, surgery.

Medications

The main treatment for Dressler syndrome is medication to reduce inflammation. Your doctor may recommend nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as:

• Aspirin
• Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others)
• Colchicine

If Dressler syndrome occurs after a heart attack, usually aspirin is preferred over other NSAIDs.

Indomethacin may also be given.

If those medications don't help, your doctor might prescribe corticosteroids. These powerful immune system suppressants can reduce inflammation related to Dressler syndrome. Corticosteroids can have serious side effects and might interfere with the healing of damaged heart tissue after a heart attack or surgery. For those reasons, corticosteroids are generally used only when other treatments don't work.

Treating complications

Complications of Dressler syndrome can require more-invasive treatments, including:

• Draining excess fluids. If you develop cardiac tamponade, your doctor will likely recommend a procedure (pericardiocentesis) in which a needle or small tube (catheter) is used to remove the excess fluid. The procedure is usually done using a local anesthetic.
• Removing the pericardium. If you develop constrictive pericarditis, you might need surgery to remove the pericardium (pericardiectomy).