I’m a Healthcare Professional – What Do I Need to Know?
Myocarditis Resources for Healthcare Professionals
At the Myocarditis Foundation, we aim to inspire care providers like you to learn more about myocarditis. As a rare form of heart disease, myocarditis often goes undetected or even misdiagnosed in patients of all ages. With the following resources, you can arm yourself with the heart disease education you need to provide informed, accurate care for your patients with myocarditis, giant cell myocarditis, pericarditis, and related conditions.
Myocarditis Education for Frontline Clinicians
We, at the Myocarditis Foundation, feel the need to share this extremely important information for you as frontline clinicians, whether you work in the Triage Area of an Emergency Room, a Pediatrician or Family Practice Office, your own Independent Practice, or just as a nursing professional looking for information on the disease.
If you’d like to obtain a certificate for one hour of Myocarditis Education from the Myocarditis Foundation, please complete the separate “Test for Nurses”, and email it to: [email protected]. Please be sure to clearly print your information on the test form and we will send you the certificate.
Browse Our Resources
In response to a dire need for more information about myocarditis, an inflammatory response that attacks the heart muscle leading to cardiac dysfunction and heart failure, the Myocarditis Foundation is dedicated to getting you the facts! Browse the following research photos and descriptions to improve your knowledge of this under diagnosed disease.
Research Photos Detailed Descriptions
Complement Deposition Pericardium
Complement (C3) deposition in the heart of a mouse with myocarditis stains green. High staining area is the pericardium. Complement and autoantibodies (called immune complexes) deposit in the heart during myocarditis causing cardiac dysfunction.
Eosinophilic Myocarditis
Eosinophilic myocarditis in a mouse. Cardiac muscle is pink, inflammatory cells stain dark purple. Eosinophils are inflammatory cells with a donut-shape and a bright pink center.
Fibrosis in Blue
Fibrosis in a mouse heart with chronic myocarditis. Fibrosis (e.g. scaring of the myocardium) stains bright blue and cardiac tissue stains deep pink. Scarring of the myocardium leads to dilated cardiomyopathy or an enlarged heart, which places an individual at risk for heart failure.
Myocarditis
Myocarditis in a mouse heart. Cardiac tissue is pink, cardiac inflammation stains purple.
Myocarditis
Myocarditis in a mouse heart. Cardiac tissue stains pink, while cardiac inflammation stains purple. Vessels containing red blood cells stain bright pink.
Myocarditis
Myocarditis in a mouse heart. Cardiac tissue stains pink, while cardiac inflammation stains purple. Vessels containing red blood cells stain bright pink.
Myocarditis
Myocarditis in a mouse heart. Cardiac tissue is pink, cardiac inflammation stains purple.
Giant Cell Myocarditis (GCM)
GCM shows diffuse inflammation with lymphocytes, macrophages, and characteristic multinucleated giant cells, alongside areas of myocyte necrosis. It lacks well-formed granulomas, and the inflammation leads to widespread myocardial destruction.
Sarcoidosis
Sarcoidosis features non-caseating granulomas with clusters of immune cells, including multinucleated giant cells, scattered throughout the myocardium. Over time, fibrosis may occur, but myocyte necrosis is usually absent, making the inflammation more structured than in GCM.
Pericarditis
Pericarditis (outer layer of the heart) in a mouse heart. Normal cardiac tissue stains bright pink. Flakey outer layers are pericarditis. Pericarditis alone or with myocarditis (perimyocarditis) can cause cardiac dysfunction.
Perimyocarditis
Perimyocarditis in a mouse heart. Normal cardiac tissue is bright pink. Purple cell layer on the outer edge of the heart is inflammation (i.e. perimyocarditis). Pericarditis alone or with myocarditis (perimyocarditis) can cause cardiac dysfunction.
Pericarditis
Pericarditis (outer layer of the heart) in a mouse heart. Normal cardiac tissue is bright pink. Purple outer layer is pericarditis. Pericarditis alone or with myocarditis (perimyocarditis) can cause cardiac dysfunction.
As a care provider, there are seemingly endless factors that you must consider when diagnosing a patient. To help you gather the fast-facts about myocarditis, the Myocarditis Foundation has compiled resources on the following topics for you to explore:
- Myocarditis and Giant Cell Myocarditis: Learn about the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of both myocarditis and its variant, giant cell myocarditis.
Giant Cell Myocarditis - Adult Myocarditis: Learn how to recognize and diagnose myocarditis in adults.
Adult Myocarditis - Pediatric Myocarditis: Familiarize yourself with the pediatric symptoms of myocarditis and other important information.
PEDIATRIC MYOCARDITIS - Myocarditis in Children (For Physicians): Explore the proper recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of myocarditis in children.
Be Alert to Myocarditis in Children: A Guide for Physicians (PDF, 606 KB) - The Myocarditis Foundation: Learn more about the Myocarditis Foundation, including our mission and what we do to achieve it.
MYOCARDITIS FOUNDATION - Myocarditis and Sudden Death: Learn the facts about myocarditis and sudden death.
Myocarditis and Sudden Death Fact Sheet (PDF, 117 KB)
Want to learn more? Browse myocarditis FAQs and research articles!
Worldwide Myocarditis Events
To raise awareness about myocarditis, the Myocarditis Foundation helps people across the world host and attend events like cookouts, yard sales, walk-a-thons, and much more. We not only advertise these events on our website, but we also provide hosts with educational materials, guest speakers (when available), and poster displays to teach guests about this disease.
Resources by and for Healthcare Professionals
Healthcare providers make up a large, international network of people driven by a shared goal: caring for patients. To help each other realize this goal, providers often write articles to share their important findings with others. The Myocarditis Foundation has compiled the following selections written by healthcare providers for your quick reference:
- “Myocarditis: Current Trends in Diagnosis and Treatment”
- “Pediatric Viral Myocarditis”
- “Myocarditis: Practice Essentials”
- “Clinical Manifestations and Diagnosis of Myocarditis in Children”
- “Pediatric Myocarditis: Emergency Department Clinical Findings and Diagnostic Evaluation”
- Pediatric Hospital Medicine: Textbook of Inpatient Management
- Sex and Gender Differences
- Myocarditis diagnosis: harnessing order amongst heterogeneity through collaboration
- Illuminating a Hidden Risk The Genetic Contribution to Acute Myocarditis
- 2024 ACC Expert Consensus Strategies & Criteria for the Diagnosis & Mgmt of Myocarditis
Learn from Dr. Cooper’s Expertise
Dr. Leslie Cooper, one of the co-founders of the Myocarditis Foundation, is an expert in myocarditis care. Not only has the majority of his medical research focused on myocarditis, but he has also edited a textbook called Myocarditis: From Bench to Bedside. This resource covers everything from basic myocarditis research to bedside medicine, including the following chapters:
- Introduction to Clinical Myocarditis – Chapter 11
- Pathology of Human Myocarditis – Chapter 14
- Endomyocardial Biopsy in Myocarditis – Chapter 15
- Treatment of Lymphocytic Myocarditis – Chapter 16
- Idiopathic Giant Cell Myocarditis – Chapter 17
- Cardiac Sarcoidosis – Chapter 18
- The Eosinophil in Cardiac Disease – Chapter 19
- Chagas Heart Disease – Chapter 20
- Childhood Myocarditis and Dilated Cardiomyopathy – Chapter 23
- Outcomes of Mechanical Circulatory Support for Giant Cell Myocarditis
- New Insights in Human Myocarditis: From Bench to Bedside
Aside from these feats, Dr. Cooper has also given several talks on myocarditis and endomyocardial biopsy. He also frequently hosts the Myocarditis Foundation’s webinars, answering questions from both providers and patients alike.
Contact Us Today
Without healthcare providers like you, our mission would not be attainable. We hope that our resources can provide you with the heart disease education and support that you need to care for patients with myocarditis. To learn more about our provider and patient resources, contact the Myocarditis Foundation today by calling 281-713-2962.
Help us end suffering and sudden death from myocarditis! Please contact us directly at (281) 713-2962 if you’re interested in getting involved with the Myocarditis Foundation!