Bacterial endocarditis complicating pregnancy: case report and systematic review of the literature.
BACKGROUND
Infectious endocarditis is a rare life-threatening complication of pregnancy. We report a pregnancy complicated by a 3.5-cm infected vegetation of the tricuspid valve initially presenting as unilateral hip pain as well as systematic review of this entity.


METHODS
A MEDLINE review of the English language literature from 1965 to present using the search terms 'endocarditis', 'pregnancy' and 'infection' as well as review of references was performed.


RESULTS
Sixty-eight cases of infectious endocarditis complicating pregnancy were identified. The calculated maternal and fetal mortality rates were 22.1% and 14.7% respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
With persistent symptomatic lesions, delivery should be considered without regard to measures of fetal lung maturity because of high fetal mortality rates.
Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, FG-048, Farmington, CT 06030, USA. roque@exchange.uchc.edu
Katie
K
Campuzano
Henry
H
Roqué
Alan
A
Bolnick
Mauro V
MV
Leo
Winston A
WA
Campbell
D000328:Adult; D016470:Bacteremia; D002585:Cesarean Section; D002637:Chest Pain; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death; D005865:Gestational Age; D006345:Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D016239:MEDLINE; D008297:Male; D008428:Maternal Mortality; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000382:microbiology*; D013290:Streptococcal Infections; D013610:Tachycardia; D014261:Tricuspid Valve / Q000382:microbiology; D034363:Viridans Streptococci / Q000302:isolation & purification
D010100:Oxygen