cardiovascular disorders
Myocarditis
Key Points
Clinical presentation of myocarditis is variable, ranging from subclinical symptoms to fulminant heart failure, intractable arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death. Diagnosis is often based on clinical findings and noninvasive testing, including cardiac MRI; do endomyocardial biopsy if patients present with fulminant heart failure or intractable arrhythmias or if findings would change treatment. Treat patients with heart failure and arrhythmias; immunosuppression is added for sarcoidosis or drug-related myocarditis and giant cell myocarditis. 