A Curious Case of Blood-Culture-Negative Infective Endocarditis

Fujii S, Tugaleva E, Chu MWA (Surgery), Bainbridge D.

J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2017 Apr 19.[Epub ahead of print]

The authors present an interesting case of fungal endocarditis along with 3D TEE images and the clinical course. Fungal endocarditis is more commonly observed in patients with predisposing conditions such as immunosuppression, intravenous drug use or previous heart valve replacement. Although early treatment is imperative, in many cases, definitive diagnosis is not made promptly due to low index of clinical suspicion based on frequently negative blood cultures and insidious clinical symptoms. Aspergillus endocarditis is extremely rare and often leads to life-thretening outcomes. Considering high rates of systemic embolism and poor prognosis, high index of suspition, as well as, early surgical intervention are imperative.

Primary author, Dr Satoru Fujii, is a Clinical Fellow with the Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine. Click here to learn more about the fellowship program. 

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