Change of the Pattern of the Demographic Characteristics of the Patients with Endocarditis: Clinical Case of Infectious Endocarditis in Man with Injectible Drug Dependence, Complicated with Pneumonia and Peripheral Necroses of Feet, Arms, Nose (Own Clinical Observations and Experience of Education in State and English Language)

Infectious endocarditis is multisystem disease, which is the result of the infection (usually bacterial) of endocardial heart surface. Despite of the latest medical achievements in diagnostics and treatment, infectious endocarditis is still a disease with high mortality rate and severe complications. During last decades in developed countries there are obvious changes of demographic characteristics of the patients with infectious endocarditis, namely increasing of aged patients with degenerative valvular diseases, of patients with anamnesis of invasive manipulations and procedures. Beside with well known risk factors (artificial valves and implanted heart devices), there are increasing roles of injectible drug-dependence, human immunodeficiency virus and wide contact with health protection system as predisposing factors for infectious endocarditis. The article contains literature data of the main populational risk groups of infectious endocarditis. Clinical case of severe (fatal) infectious endocarditis in patient with injectible drug dependence is submitted. Special features of the case are peripheral dry necroses of feet, arms, nose, which are very close to the description of symmetrical peripheral gangrene. This rare disorder was first described by Hutchinson in 1891 in 37-year old man, who had gangrene of fingers, hands and ears after shock. Symmetrical peripheral gangrene can be induced by different infection and non-inflection causes. The majority of these cases are connected to the treatment of cardiogenic shock with disseminated intravascular coagulation. Submitted description of the case of symmetrical peripheral gangrene in patient with infectious endocarditis will be useful for different medical care specialists as a reminder of the necessity of constant monitoring of the skin color of the distal parts of the limbs in severe sick patients.