Purulent pericarditis is a rare infectious disease with significant mortality, even in the modern antibiotic era. The presenting signs can often be subtle and patients can deteriorate rapidly with cardiac tamponade. We report a previously healthy 16-month-old female who developed purulent pericarditis associated with paronychia and sepsis caused by methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus. In addition to antibiotic treatment, she required emergent pericardiocentesis for cardiac tamponade, followed by two surgical interventions including full median sternotomy incision and partial pericardiectomy. At 4-month follow-up, she did well with no evidence of constrictive pericarditis on echocardiogram.
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