Image Number 041 - Acute purulent pericarditis, heart
An exudate is an inflammatory extravascular fluid that has a specific gravity greater than 1.020 and contains a large amount of protein and cellular debris. This is an example of an exudate that is seen with pericarditis and is often called bread and butter pericarditis due to its appearance. Purulent is synonymous with suppurative and implies a non-viral etiology.