Injection drug use and tricuspid valve endocarditis.

ABSTRACT

Tricuspid valve endocarditis is more common in injection drug users. Pulmonary valve and Eustachian valve endocarditis have been reported but are very rare. Earlier reports of endocarditis in injection drug users emphasized the dominance of right sided involvement. In a series of 105 patients 86 % were right sided and 14 % had left sided involvement. We report a case of isolated tricuspid valve endocarditis in an injection drug user affecting a structurally normal heart and review of the literature on this subject. Key Words injection drug use, tricuspid valve endocarditis.