Don't Stop Beleafing: A Unique Case of Fungal Infective Endocarditis.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Seitler S
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8302800 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Fungal infective endocarditis (IE) is uncommon in postoperative cardiac surgical patients. The fungal IE accounts for 1.3'-6.8' of all IE cases and is considered the most severe form with a mortality rate as high as 45'-50'. There are various predisposing factors for fungal IE which include congenital heart defects, cardiac interventions like pacemaker insertion, degenerative valvular heart diseases, long-term use of broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapy, and long-term use of central venous. Mortality can reach up to 100' without specific treatment. Definitive therapy necessitates surgical debridement of vegetations/mass/abscess followed by long-term treatment with antifungal agents in patients who have symptoms of heart failure despite optimum medical management. We, hereby, report a case of fungal IE which occurred after the closure of a ventricular septal defect and was treated successfully with liposomal amphotericin B.
| S-EPMC8081123 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Infective endocarditis (IE) is a rare, life-threatening disease that has long-lasting effects even among patients who survive and are cured. IE disproportionately affects those with underlying structural heart disease and is increasingly associated with health care contact, particularly in patients who have intravascular prosthetic material. In the setting of bacteraemia with a pathogenic organism, an infected vegetation may form as the end result of complex interactions between invading microorganisms and the host immune system. Once established, IE can involve almost any organ system in the body. The diagnosis of IE may be difficult to establish and a strategy that combines clinical, microbiological and echocardiography results has been codified in the modified Duke criteria. In cases of blood culture-negative IE, the diagnosis may be especially challenging, and novel microbiological and imaging techniques have been developed to establish its presence. Once diagnosed, IE is best managed by a multidisciplinary team with expertise in infectious diseases, cardiology and cardiac surgery. Antibiotic prophylaxis for the prevention of IE remains controversial. Efforts to develop a vaccine that targets common bacterial causes of IE are ongoing, but have not yet yielded a commercially available product.
| S-EPMC5240923 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Up to 20% of all infective endocarditis are blood culture-negative and therefore a diagnostic challenge. Here we present the case of an infective endocarditis due to Helicobacter cinaedi finally diagnosed using different molecular methods. This highly fastidious gram-negative spiral rod is increasingly recognized as a human pathogen, above all in immunocompromised patients. So far H. cinaedi has been associated with bacteremia, cellulitis, arthritis and meningitis.A 71-year-old man presented with fever and progressive dyspnea for weeks. He was immunocompromised by long-term steroid therapy. As one major and two minor Duke's criteria (vegetation, fever and aortic valve stenosis as predisposition) were present, an infective endocarditis was suspected and an empiric therapy with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and gentamicin was established. The persistent severe aortic regurgitation resulted in a valve replacement. Histological evaluation of the aortic valve showed a polypous-ulcerative endocarditis. Gram stain and culture remained negative. Broad-range bacterial PCR targeting the 16S rRNA gene on the biopsy of the aortic valve identified H. cinaedi as the causative agent. The antibiotic therapy was simplified accordingly to ceftriaxone and gentamicin with a recommended duration of 6 weeks. Ten days after valve replacement the patient was discharged. To complete our molecular finding, we sequenced nearly the complete 16S rRNA gene (accession number KF914917) resulting in 99.9% identity with H. cinaedi reference sequences. Based on this result, 2 species-specific PCR tests amplifying part of the ctd gene were established and applied to the valve specimen. The 2 PCRs confirmed H. cinaedi. In addition, we analyzed stool, urine and saliva from the patient using H. cinaedi PCR. The fecal and urine specimen showed a positive signal, saliva was PCR-negative.We identified H. cinaedi as causative agent of a culture-negative endocarditis in an immunocompromised patient using broad-range and specific PCR. In addition to 2 cases from Japan presented on international meetings in 2010 and 2013, our case report shows that H. cinaedi should be recognized as additional causative organism of infective endocarditis. The use of molecular diagnostic techniques proved to be a powerful complement for the detection of blood culture-negative infective endocarditis.
| S-EPMC4243372 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundA multidisciplinary approach has been recommended for the management of patients with infective endocarditis. We evaluated the impact of multidisciplinary case conferences on morbidity, mortality, and quality of care for these patients.MethodsWe conducted a quasi-experimental study of consecutive patients admitted for infective endocarditis before (2013/10/1-2015/10/12, n = 97) and after (2015/10/13-2017/11/30, n = 80) implementation of case conferences to discuss medical and surgical management. These occurred as face-to-face discussions or electronically (for non-complex patients), and included physicians from cardiac surgery, cardiology, critical care, infectious diseases and neurology. We assessed process-of-care and clinical outcomes, with the primary outcome being complications up to 90 days after hospital discharge.ResultsA case conference was held for 80/80 (100%) of patients in the post-intervention group. After the intervention, more patients received inpatient cardiology assessment (81.3% [post-intervention] vs. 63.9% [pre-intervention], p = 0.01), and more patients with definite infective endocarditis underwent cardiac surgery treatment (44.6% vs. 21.7%, p = 0.007). All pre-intervention and post-intervention patients received guideline-concordant antimicrobial therapy. There was no difference in rates of complications (40.0% vs. 51.5%, p = 0.13) or mortality up to 90 days after hospital discharge (26.3% vs. 17.5%, p = 0.20). In multivariable analyses, the intervention was not associated with differences in mortality (odds ratio 1.87, 95% confidence interval 0.88-3.99) or a composite measure of complications and mortality (odds ratio 0.86, 95% confidence interval 0.46-1.58).ConclusionWe successfully implemented a standardized multidisciplinary case conference protocol for patients with infective endocarditis. This intervention had no detectable effect on complications or mortality.
| S-EPMC6181397 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionEmbolic myocardial infarction is an uncommon but increasingly recognized complication of infective endocarditis (IE). Its incidence ranges between 1% and 10%, but it has a high mortality rate. A high index of suspicion is required to diagnose it. Only case reports and small studies on this condition have been published; thus, it is unknown what the ideal treatment is. We review the challenges to diagnosing this disease and the most effective treatments for it.Case presentationWe report a case series of three patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in IE. The first patient presented with non-ST-elevation ACS. He underwent a stent placement for late-diagnosed embolic myocardial infarction, after which he was treated conservatively without valve replacement, with good results. The second patient with ST-elevation presented with ACS, for which conventional balloon angioplasty and successful double valve replacement were performed. ST-elevation ACS was also observed in the last patient, who experienced periannular complications, which necessitated surgery.DiscussionAcute coronary syndrome is a rare complication of IE but is associated with an increased risk of heart failure and high mortality rate. Its management is complicated and cannot be standardized. Because each situation is unique, a multidisciplinary discussion is required to choose the best treatment.
| S-EPMC6426111 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundDuring the COVID-19 outbreak, cardiovascular imaging, especially transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE), may expose healthcare personnel to virus contamination and should be performed only if strictly necessary. On the other hand, transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and TOE represent the first-line imaging exams for the diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE). To date, this is the first case of COVID-19 complicated by IE.Case summaryWe present the case of a 57-year-old man with severe COVID-19 pneumonia requiring mechanical ventilation. During the intensive care unit (ICU) stay, he developed fever and positive haemocoltures for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection. TTE did not identify endocardial vegetations. TOE was then performed and outlined IE of the aortic valve on the non-coronary cusp. Antibiotic therapy was given with progressive resolution of the septic state and improvement of inflammatory signs. After 30 days of ICU stay, the patient was transferred to the Sub-ICU and then to a rehabilitation hospital. A close follow-up has been scheduled: after full recovery, a new echocardiography will be performed (TTE and TOE, if the former is non-conclusive) to consider surgical valve repair in the case of persistence/progression of the valvular lesion or deterioration of the valve function.DiscussionIn COVID-19 patients, echocardiography remains the leading imaging exam for the diagnosis of IE. If the suspicion of IE is high, even in this setting of patients, TTE or TOE (if TTE is non-conclusive) are mandatory. A high degree of attention must be paid and appropriate preventive measures taken to avoid contamination of healthcare personnel.
| S-EPMC7717232 | biostudies-literature
Project description:An 80-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of fever, bloody sputum and exertional dyspnea of 3 days. Laboratory tests showed anemia and increase of the C-reactive protein level. A chest computed tomography scan revealed diffuse bilateral ground-glass opacities. Bronchoalveolar lavage confirmed the clinical diagnosis of diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH). After methylprednisolone pulse therapy, Enterococcus faecalis was detected in the blood cultures. A diagnosis of infective endocarditis was made according to the Modified Duke's criteria. The causes of DAH are certainly diverse; however, we should consider infective endocarditis as one of the etiologies of DAH.
| S-EPMC6812192 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We describe a case of Thermomyces lanuginosus endocarditis, the first reported in a living patient, and review the literature to delineate the clinical characteristics, investigations and management of endocarditis due to such rare but emerging mould pathogens.
| S-EPMC3885936 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Highlights•Francisella tularensis infection, or tularemia, can cause infective endocarditis.•Echocardiographic data are critical in prompt diagnosis of this rare clinical entity.•Accurate diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion in the correct clinical context.
| S-EPMC7175796 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAortic valve involvement is rare in patients with Behçet' s disease (BD); however, recurrent prosthetic valve detachment after valve surgery has frequently been reported. We report a rare case of Behçet's aortitis involving the aortic valve, mimicking active infective endocarditis (IE) with perivalvular abscess.Case summaryA 16-year-old boy, with an unknown case of BD, presented with pyrexia of unknown origin, severe aortic valve regurgitation, vegetation, and perivalvular abscess in the aortic valve. All cultures tested negative for microorganisms. As we suspected IE, aortic valve replacement was performed. After the initial surgery, recurrent prosthetic valve detachment and pseudoaneurysm formation occurred, which resulted in the diagnosis of BD. The patient underwent a modified Bentall procedure, in which the valve conduit was proximally sutured to the left ventricular outflow tract instead of the aortic annulus. Immunosuppressive therapy was initiated on the 10th postoperative day. His condition became stable, and additional surgery was not required.DiscussionThe echocardiographic findings of Behçet's aortitis involving the aortic valve resemble those of aortic valve IE. Modified Bentall procedure, combined with effective immunosuppressive therapy, may be useful in preventing prosthetic valve detachment.
| S-EPMC8493009 | biostudies-literature