Pneumococcal pulmonary valve endocarditis

Isolated Pulmonary Valve Endocarditis

Infective endocarditis involving the right side of the heart is typically associated with IV drug abuse and chronic indwelling catheters which commonly involve the tricuspid valve. Isolated pulmonary valve endocarditis (PVE) is a rare clinical entity. We report a rare case of a young woman with a history of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on hemodialysis through tunneled catheter presenting with persistent coagulase-negative staphylococcus (CoNS) epidermidis bacteremia despite being on appropriate treatment with IV vancomycin for two weeks. Because of the persistent bacteremia, a transesophageal echocardiogram was performed and it revealed a thickened pulmonary valve with 1.8 cm vegetation in the left posterior cusp. She was successfully treated with IV daptomycin course for a total of six weeks. The recommended management for PVE is usually medical treatment with IV antibiotics gauged according to sensitivities of the cultures. Our article highlights the fact that the decision to manage it medically versus surgically can propose a challenge as the guidelines are not very robust. 

Isolated Pulmonic Valve Endocarditis: Case Report and Review of Existing Literature on Diagnosis and Therapy

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Pulmonic valve endocarditis (PVE) is a rare complication of infective endocarditis.

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It is occasionally associated with significant pulmonic insufficiency (PI).

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PVE usually has a benign course, but it can sometimes be complicated.

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Doppler and echocardiographic parameters are commonly required to grade the severity of PI.

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The decision to manage complicated PVE conservatively versus surgically is challenging.