title: Emergency percutaneous balloon mitral valvotomy in a patient with septic shock.
abstract: We report an 18-year-old patient with severe mitral stenosis complicated by right lower lobe pneumonia, sepsis, and shock. Intractable low cardiac output led to an emergency percutaneous balloon mitral valvotomy in a patient, resulting in immediately improved hemodynamic parameters. We are unaware of another report of percutaneous balloon mitral valvotomy performed in a patient with sepsis and shock. This case supports previous isolated reports of the benefit from emergency percutaneous balloon mitral valvotomy in critical situations where thoracotomy is not possible due to coexisting medical problems.
authors.affiliation: Intensive Care Unit, Baragwanath Hospital, University of the Witwatersrand, Soweto, South Africa.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Litmanovitch
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Joynt
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Skoularigis
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lipman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002404:Catheterization; D004630:Emergencies; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008946:Mitral Valve Stenosis / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D011018:Pneumonia, Pneumococcal / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D012772:Shock, Septic / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*