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Pericardium

The pericardium is a membrane like a sac that surrounds the heart and its major blood vessels. Normally there is a small amount of fluid between the pericardium and the heart that helps cushion the heart and reduces friction between the heart and the pericardium when the heart beats.

By Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer Stephen Fort, MD, MRCP, FRCPC - Interventional Cardiology
Last Revised April 5, 2011

WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise

Last Updated: April 05, 2011
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