title: Aortico-Left Atrial Fistula: A Rare Complication of Bioprosthetic Aortic Valve Endocarditis Secondary to Enterococcus faecalis.
abstract: Paravalvular aortic root abscess with intracardiac fistula formation is an exceedingly rare complication of infective endocarditis. This condition is even more rarely encountered in patients with bioprosthetic valve endocarditis. We report an unusual case of a 68-year-old Bosnian female with a bioprosthetic aortic valve, who developed an extensive aortic root abscess, complicated by an aortico-left atrial intracardiac fistula. This case illustrates that a high index of suspicion, prompt diagnosis by echocardiography, proper antibiotic therapy, and early surgical intervention are crucial to improving treatment outcomes for this rare condition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch, NJ 07740, USA.
authors.forename: Abhinav
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agrawal
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch, NJ 07740, USA.
authors.forename: Martin Miguel
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Amor
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA.
authors.forename: Deepa
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Iyer
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch, NJ 07740, USA.
authors.forename: Manan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Parikh
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Newark, NJ 07712, USA.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cohen