title: Long-term survival of salvage cardiac transplantation for infective endocarditis.
abstract: Cardiac transplantation has been rarely performed in patients with infective endocarditis. A 31-year-old man developed aortic endocarditis due to Brucella melitensis. He presented with fever and developed acute myocardial infarct, severe aortic regurgitation, and heart failure. Aortic valve replacement did not improve cardiac function; hence, an emergent cardiac transplantation was carried out. Eighteen years later, he is doing well and living an active and productive life. Only 6 patients have received a cardiac transplant as part of the treatment of active infective endocarditis. This patient shows how cardiac transplantation may be successfully used as salvage therapy for patients with infective endocarditis who are not candidates for valve replacement or have severe and irreversible myocardial damage.
authors: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Madrid, Spain. mlfernandez@fjd.es
authors: Manuel L Fernández
authors: ML
authors: Guerrero
authors: Gonzalo
authors: G
authors: Aldámiz
authors: Julián
authors: J
authors: Bayón
authors: Victor Artíz
authors: VA
authors: Cohen
authors: Julián
authors: J
authors: Fraile
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017347:Brucella melitensis; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000601:surgery*; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000601:surgery*; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017741:Survivors; D013997:Time Factors