scholarly journals Capnocytophaga canimorsus and infective endocarditis—making a dog’s dinner of the aortic valve: a case report

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita Sri ◽  
Edward Droscher ◽  
Rodney De Palma

Abstract Background Capnocytophaga canimorsus, a bacterium found in the oral cavities of healthy cats and dogs, is rarely reported as a cause of infective endocarditis. In this report we describe such a case in a young, male dog owner who presented acutely unwell in heart failure. Case summary A 47-year-old male presented with a subacute onset of fever, night sweats, weight loss, dyspnoea, and peripheral oedema. On clinical examination typical features of infective endocarditis, heart failure, and aortic regurgitation were found. The patient had no conventional risk factors for infective endocarditis but was a dog owner. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed vegetations on the right coronary and non-coronary cusps of the aortic valve causing severe eccentric aortic regurgitation and left ventricular dilatation. Initial blood cultures taken prior to the initiation of antimicrobial therapy showed no growth. The patient underwent aortic valve and root replacement and a 16S ribosomal RNA polymerase chain reaction (16S rRNA PCR) of the resected aortic valve tissue, using the additional primer set 785F/1175R targeting the V5–7 region of 16S rRNA, identified C. canimorsus. The patient was treated post-operatively with a 6-week course of meropenem and made a good recovery. Discussion Suspicion of C. canimorsus causing infective endocarditis should be considered in culture-negative infective endocarditis in individuals who have close contact with dogs or cats. Those who are immunocompetent can be susceptible to this infection and so this diagnosis should not be disregarded in healthy individuals. A 16S rRNA PCR can help identify this bacterium and should be used early in cases of culture-negative infective endocarditis.

Author(s):  
Khin Phyu Pyar ◽  
◽  
Sai Aik Hla ◽  
Soe Win Hlaing ◽  
Soe Min ◽  
...  

A 44-year-old previously healthy gentle man presented with dyspnoea for three weeks which was more severe over 7 days. He had anaemia, sinus tachycardia, wide pulse pressure of 100 mmHg, heaving displaced apex beat, and features of aortic regurgitation with occasional crackles over both lung base. Echocardiogram revealed vegetations at aortic valve. He was initially treated as a case of infective endocarditis and left ventricular failure with amoxicillin, gentamycin and anti-failure treatment. However, heart failure was very refractory and even worsening; he expired five days after arrival to our hospital. Blood culture obtained after his death showed a growth of unusual organism Burkholderia cepacia. Keywords: infective endocarditis; aortic regurgitation; refractory heart failure; Burkholderia cepacia.


scholarly journals P1088Match and mismatch between opening area and resistance in mild and moderate rheumatic mitral stenosisP1089When should cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging be considered in patients with chronic aortic or mitral regurgitation?P1090Echocardiographic characteristics of aortic valve fenestration with aortic regurgitation for aortic valve repairP1091Aortic regurgitation assessment by 3D transesophageal echocardiography vena contracta area: usefulness and comparison with 2D methods.P1092Characterising cardiomyopathy in mitral regurgitation due to barlow disease: role of CMRP1093Compensatory peripheral increase in artero-venous o2 difference to severe functional mitral regurgitation in heart failureP1094Prognostic impact of concomitant atrioventricular valve regurgitation in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantationP1095Morphological characterization of vegetations by real-time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography in infective endocarditis: prognostic impactP1096Relation between causative pathogen and echocardiographic findings in patients with infective endocarditis: is there an association and is it clinically relevant?P1097Aortic and mitral valve infective endocarditis: different clinical and echocardiographic features and peculiar complication ratesP1098Vegetation size relevance and impact on prognosis in patients with infective endocarditisP1099Causes of death on the valvular heart disease surveillance list- a 5 year auditP1100Left ventricular non-compaction and idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy: the significant diagnostic value of longitudinal strainP1101The role of echocardiography in the management of diuretics withdrawal in patients with chronic heart failure and severely reduced ejection fraction: a prospective cohort studyP1102Outcomes in paediatric new onset left ventricle dysfunction and dilatation: differences between post-myocarditis and DCMP1103De novo mitral regurgitation as a cause of heart failure exacerbation in hypertrophic cardiomyopathyP1104Correlation of conventional and new echocardiograhic parameters with sudden cardiac death risk score in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathyP1105Inverse correlation between myocardial fibrosis and left ventricular function in rheumatic mitral stenosis: a preliminary study with cardiac magnetic resonanceP1106Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and cardiac sympathetic derangement in patients with Anderson-Fabry disease: a 2D speckle tracking echocardiography and cardiac 123I-MIBG studyP1107Left ventricular hypertrophy and mild cognitive impairment as markers for target organ damage in hypertensive patients with multiple risk factorsP1108Subclinical left ventricular dysfunction in asymptomatic type 1 diabetic childrenP1109Minimal differences shown by echocardiography and NT-proBNP level distinguishing cardiotoxic effect related to breast cancer therapy in patients with or without HER2 expression.P1110Speed of recovery of left ventricular function is not related to the prognosis of takotsubo cardiomyopathy - a portuguese multicenter studyP1111Myocardial dysfunction in Takotsubo cardiomyopathy - more than meets the eye?P1112Obstructive sleep apnea and echocardiographic parameters

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (suppl 2) ◽  
pp. ii227-ii234
Author(s):  
I. El-Dosouky ◽  
CL. Polte ◽  
T. Okubo ◽  
A. Gonzalez Gomez ◽  
B. Liu ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Axel Unbehaun ◽  
Marcus Kelm ◽  
Oliver Miera ◽  
Joerg Kempfert

Abstract Background Left ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC) has been reported in association with almost all types of congenital heart valve disease. The presence of LVNC-related ventricular dysfunction increases the perioperative risk in these patients. The advantages of transcatheter treatment modalities outweigh those of surgical strategies, as they avoid cardioplegic arrest and myocardial trauma. To our knowledge, there have been no reports on transcatheter treatment of pure aortic regurgitation in patients with a bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) and concomitant LVNC. Case summary In this article, we present the case of a 13-year-old boy with a regurgitant BAV and concomitant LVNC who presented with end-stage heart failure and severe pulmonary hypertension. As a bridge to definitive therapy, the patient underwent an uneventful transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) using a 26-mm balloon-expandable prosthesis. Device success without paravalvular regurgitation was achieved. At 17 months of follow-up, a steady reduction in pulmonary arterial pressure, persistent normalization of systolic left ventricular function and a tremendous improvement in the patient’s physical resilience was observed. The initially considered heart–lung transplantation was avoided and will not be necessary. Discussion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case performed with TAVI for BAV regurgitation in the context of LVNC. With technical modifications and appropriate planning, TAVI in paediatric patients with a non-calcified BAV is feasible. Different imaging modalities revealed an intriguing relationship between aortic regurgitation and morphological signs of a left ventricular non-compaction myocardium.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Sadaba Cipriain ◽  
A.M Navarro Echeverria ◽  
C.R Tiraplegui Garjon ◽  
A Garcia De La Pena Urtasun ◽  
V Arrieta Paniagua ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Adipose tissue is a common constituent of the heart and it is located, without great clinical relevance, frequently in the pericardium. The presence of adipose tissue in the aortic valve is rare, with unknown significance on valve structural properties and function. Aortic regurgitation (AR) is the third most prevalent valve disease, although it is uncommon to find it in isolation. Myxoid degeneration may be the cause or result of AR, although the pathophysiology remains poorly understood. Purpose To describe and characterize the presence of adipose tissue in the aortic valves from a cohort of AR patients. Methods 116 patients undergoing aortic valve replacement due to severe AR were enrolled. We classified them in two groups according to the histological results showing presence or absence of adipose tissue in the aortic valves. In the valve tissue molecular analysis were performed by RT-PCR, Western Blot and ELISA to analyze markers of adipocytes (leptin, adiponectin, resistin), inflammation (Rantes, interleukin-6, interleukin-1β), extracellular matrix remodeling (metalloproteinases-1, -2 and -9), proteoglycans (aggrecan, hyaluronan, lumican, syndecan-1, decorin) and fibrosis (collagens, fibronectin). Results Adipose tissue was found in 63% of the aortic valves analyzed. Baseline characteristics (age, hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, smoking, left ventricular telediastolic diameter, left ventricular systolic function, ascending aorta) were similar in patients presenting valve adipose tissue as compared with patients without valve adipose tissue. Valves containing adipocytes exhibited a higher leptin content (p<0.001), fibronectin (p<0.01), decorin (p<0,0001), hyaluronan (p=0.03), aggrecan (p=0.04) and metalloproteinase 1 (p=0.03). Interestingly, the presence of adipocytes in the valve was positively correlated with valve thickness measured by echocardiogram (Pearson chi2 statistical significance = 26.3345 p<0.001). Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first study that describes the presence of adipose cells in aortic valves from a cohort of AR patients. Aortic valves containing adipocytes were thicker and exhibited significant higher levels of proteoglycans, suggesting that adipocytes could contribute to the myxomatous degeneration process. Our results propose that the valve adipose tissue could play a role in the pathophysiology of AR. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Public hospital(s). Main funding source(s): Gobierno de Navarra


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Sunderland ◽  
Ahmed El-Medany ◽  
Justin Temporal ◽  
Laura Pannell ◽  
Gemina Doolub ◽  
...  

Abstract Background  The Gerbode defect is a rare abnormal communication between the left ventricle (LV) and right atrium (RA). The lesion is either congenital or acquired. Acquired defects are largely iatrogenic or infective in origin. We present two cases of acquired Gerbode defects with similar clinical presentations but very different outcomes. Case summaries Patient 1 A 64-year-old male presented with features of decompensated cardiac failure and a low-grade temperature. Dehiscence of a recently implanted bioprosthetic aortic valve and high-velocity LV to RA jet (Gerbode defect) was found on echocardiography. Blood cultures grew Staphylococcus warneri and the diagnosis of infective endocarditis was established. The patient was treated with intravenous antibiotics and the aortic valve and Gerbode defect were successfully surgically repaired. Patient 2 An 81-year-old male presented after being found on the floor at home. On admission, he was clinically septic with evidence of decompensated heart failure. No clear infective focus was initially found. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed severe left ventricular impairment, with a normal bioprosthetic aortic valve. He was treated with intravenous antibiotics, but later deteriorated with evidence of embolic phenomena. Repeat echocardiography revealed a complex infective aortic root lesion with bioprosthetic valve dehiscence and flow demonstrated from the LV to RA. Unfortunately, the patient succumbed to the infection and cardiac complications. Discussion  The Gerbode defect is a rare but important complication of infective endocarditis and valve surgery. Care needs to be taken to assess for Gerbode defect shunts on echocardiogram, especially in the context of previous cardiac surgery.


2021 ◽  
pp. 039139882110214
Author(s):  
Guang-Mao Liu ◽  
Fu-Qing Jiang ◽  
Jiang-Ping Song ◽  
Sheng-Shou Hu

The intraventricular blood flow changed by blood pump flow dynamics may correlate with thrombosis and ventricular suction. The flow velocity, distribution of streamlines, vorticity, and standard deviation of velocity inside a left ventricle failing to different extents throughout the cardiac cycle when supported by an axial blood pump were measured by particle image velocimetry (PIV) in this study. The results show slower and static flow velocities existed in the central region of the left ventricle near the mitral valve and aortic valve and that were not sensitive to left ventricular (LV) failure degree or LV pressure. Strong vorticity located near the inner LV wall around the LV apex and the blood pump inlet was not sensitive to LV failure degree or LV pressure. Higher standard deviation of the blood velocity at the blood pump inlet decreased with increasing LV failure degree, whereas the standard deviation of the velocity near the atrium increased with increasing intraventricular pressure. The experimental results demonstrated that the risk of thrombosis inside the failing left ventricle is not related to heart failure degree. The “washout” performance of the strong vorticity near the inner LV wall could reduce the thrombotic potential inside the left ventricle and was not related to heart failure degree. The vorticity near the aortic valve was sensitive to LV failure degree but not to LV pressure. We concluded that the risk of blood damage caused by adverse flow inside the left ventricle decreased with increasing LV pressure.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document