Abstract
We report a case of staphylococcus endocarditis of the mitral and aortic valves in an intravenous drug user (IVDU) complicated by abscess of the aortic root and aorto-left atrial fistula. Interestingly, the tricuspid valve was free of vegetation. Infective endocarditis in IVDUs more commonly involves right-sided valves; left-sided endocarditis is rare, indicates severe disease, or is a postmortem finding. This case illustrates the need for considering left-sided valve endocarditis in IVDU with septicemia, even if the tricuspid valve shows no evidence of vegetation.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 509-511 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Echocardiography |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| State | Published - Aug 2002 |
Keywords
- Aortico-left atrial fistula
- Intravenous drug users
- Left-sided endocarditis
- Transesophageal echocardiography