Other Related Articles:. Incessant pericarditis lasts about four to six weeks but pain left breast than three months and is continuous. The heart on the right shows a heart with pericarditis, in which the membrane pericardium that surrounds the heart is swollen and infected. If you have acute pericarditis, the most common symptom is sharp, stabbing chest pain behind the breastbone or in the pain left breast side of your chest.