Diseases of Pericardium

The pericardium is a sac formed from two thin layers surrounding the heart. It contains a small amount of liquid between these two layers, allowing the sliding of one layer over another.
The pericardium holds the heart in its position, if this prevents overfill blood to relax (diátole) and protects from possible infections that may affect the chest. However, the pericardium is not essential to life, and, if removed, it produces no measurable effects on cardiac performance. In rare cases, there is a congenital absence of the pericardium.