What is Myocarditis?
Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle or myocardium. In general, myocarditis caused by infectious diseases, but can be as a result of allergic reactions to drugs and toxic effects of chemicals radiation.
Symptoms of Myocarditis
Temporarily limit the patient’s activities to decrease stress on the heart.
• Provide bedside commode.
• Monitor for:
• Difficulty breathing (dyspnea) because fluid overload.
• Heart rate >100 beats per minute (tachycardia) because infection or inflammation
may increase the heart rate.
• No competitive sports.
• Return to normal activities slowly once physician approves.
Sources
Medical-Surgical Nursing Demystified
Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle or myocardium. In general, myocarditis caused by infectious diseases, but can be as a result of allergic reactions to drugs and toxic effects of chemicals radiation.
Symptoms of Myocarditis
- Malaise
- Rash
- Fever
- Variable symptom severity
- Chest pain
- Arrhythmia
- Breathlessness
- Acute heart failure - see also symptoms of heart failure
- Eosinophilia
- Chest discomfort
- Heart palpitations
- Heartbeat irregularity
- Abnormal heart electrical activity test results
- Increased heart enzymes
- Enlarged heart
- Increased heart rate
- Risk for Infection
- Ineffective Peripheral Tissue Perfusion
- Activity Intolerance
- Acute Pain
- Risk of Decreased Cardiac Output
- Knowledge Deficit
Temporarily limit the patient’s activities to decrease stress on the heart.
• Provide bedside commode.
• Monitor for:
• Difficulty breathing (dyspnea) because fluid overload.
• Heart rate >100 beats per minute (tachycardia) because infection or inflammation
may increase the heart rate.
• No competitive sports.
• Return to normal activities slowly once physician approves.
Sources
Medical-Surgical Nursing Demystified










