title: Tricuspid valve endocarditis with septic pulmonary emboli in a drug addict.
abstract: Presented is a case of a young, polytoxicomaniac male with a history of intravenous drug abuse. He arrived at our department in a septic state with fever and showed signs of right-sided decompensated cardiac insufficiency. The patient tested positive for hepatitis C, and blood cultures were positive for Staphylococcus aureus. A thoracic computed tomographic scan revealed bilateral, multiple septic pulmonary emboli. Transesophageal echocardiography disclosed large mobile vegetations on the tricuspid valve associated with severe regurgitation. The infected tricuspid valve was replaced with a mechanical heart valve, and the patient recovered uneventfully from surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, Heart Center-University of Heidelberg, Germany. weymann.alexander@googlemail.com
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weymann
authors.forename: Bastian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schmack
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rosendal
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rauch
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karck
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Tochtermann
authors.forename: Gábor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Szabó
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000601:surgery; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014261:Tricuspid Valve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D014262:Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery