title: Successful treatment of pacemaker related endocarditis with acute embolic stroke without device removal.
abstract: Pacemaker related endocarditis is a rare potentially fatal condition, most commonly acquired during manipulation of the pacemaker system. Most patients have involvement of the right heart. Only rarely has involvement of the left-heart been documented. In the absence of controlled studies regarding management of such cases, many recommend complete removal of the pacing system along with intravenous antibiotics. We present a patient with documented pacemaker related left-sided endocarditis associated with an acute embolic stroke who was treated with antibiotics with complete recovery and its two-year follow up.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut-Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon. gm04@aub.edu.lb
authors.forename: George V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Moukarbel
authors.forename: Zuhayr A
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Tabbarah
authors.forename: Maurice Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Khoury
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D020878:Device Removal; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020766:Intracranial Embolism / Q000150:complications*; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000382:microbiology