[Fungal endocarditis in non drug-addict patients. 10-year experience].
OBJECTIVE
Fungal endocarditis is an uncommon but serious disease. Five cases of fungal endocarditis, involving non-addict patients, were diagnosed at our hospital in the last 10 years.


RESULTS
Causal organisms included Candida albicans (3 patients), Saccharomyces (1 patient) and Torulopsis glabrata (1 patient). The predisposing condition to fungal infection was previous cardiac surgery in four cases (three of them with prosthetic heart valves, and the other patient underwent total surgical correction of Tetralogy of Fallot). No predisposing cause was found in one patient. All patients developed important complications. Three cases underwent cardiac surgery that evolved favorably, and two patients had contraindications for surgery and died from multiorgan septic involvement (overall survival was 60%).


CONCLUSIONS
The incidence of fungal endocarditis involving non-addict patients has represented 3% of all cases of infective endocarditis. Even nowadays, fungal endocarditis is a disease with a high mortality and a precocious diagnosis is important to approach surgical treatment and to improve its prognosis.
Ramírez Moreno
A
A
Servicio de Cardiología. Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía. Córdoba.
Anguita Sánchez
M
M
Castillo Domínguez
J C
JC
Siles Rubio
J R
JR
Torres Calvo
F
F
Vallés Belsué
F
F
D000328:Adult; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004696:Endocarditis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009181:Mycoses / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000601:surgery; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D013997:Time Factors; D014463:Ultrasonography