Pericarditis is defined as inflammation of the pericardium, which is usually self-limited and benign. However, empyema in children is a serious condition and has a high mortality rate. Therefore, the goal is to detect this disease early and take active measures to control the infection, avoiding its spread and endangering the child's life.

Before antibiotics were widely used, pericarditis was a common complication of pneumococcal pneumonia. Currently, most cases of purulent pericarditis are caused by a medical care-related blood infection such as during dialysis, thoracic surgery, or an immunosuppressive condition such as HIV infection, chemotherapy. Regardless of the cause, early antibiotic treatment with percutaneous empyema or pericardectomy is necessary to rapidly control the foci of infection.

Empyema pericarditis is a bacterial infection of the pericardial cavity. The disease progresses from infectious pericarditis to empyema pericarditis, which, if not treated promptly, becomes constrictive pericarditis.