First Reported Case of Candida dubliniensis Endocarditis Related to Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator.

A 36-year-old male presented to the ED with acute chronic hyponatremia found on routine weekly lab work with one-week history of generalized weakness, confusion, nausea/vomiting, and diarrhea. The patient has nonischemic cardiomyopathy of unknown etiology diagnosed in his teens with an AICD device placed 8 years ago and receiving milrinone infusion 3 years ago via peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) line. Two sets of blood cultures grew Candida dubliniensis. The patient was started on micafungin and the PICC line was removed and replaced with a central line. A transthoracic echocardiogram (TEE) showed findings consistent with AICD lead involvement. The patient was continued on treatment for fungal infective endocarditis and transferred to another hospital where he had successful AICD lead extraction. Blood cultures upon transfer back to our facility were positive for methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA). This bacteremia was thought to be secondary to right-sided internal jugular (IJ) central line and resolved with line removal and initiation of intravenous (IV) cefazolin. The patient was discharged on IV cefazolin and IV micafungin. He had a LifeVest® until completion of his antibiotic course and a new AICD was placed.

Bilateral Chylothorax as a Unique Presentation of Pancreaticobiliary or Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer.

Chylothorax presents as exudate with lymphocytic predominance and high triglyceride-low LDH levels, usually due to a traumatic disruption of the thoracic duct, possibly iatrogenic. Other causes include malignancy, sarcoidosis, goiter, AIDS, or tuberculosis. Here we present a case of a 66-year-old male who came in with cough and shortness of breath for few weeks. A week earlier, at an ED visit, he was diagnosed with pneumonia based on CT angiogram of the chest without contrast that showed bilateral pleural effusion and bilateral pulmonary infiltrates. The CT-guided placement of bilateral chest tube drained 1160 cc of creamy yellow fluid on the right and 1200 cc of creamy yellow fluid on the left. CT chest/abdomen/pelvis showed bilateral ground-glass opacities within the lungs and possible bony metastasis. A whole-body bone scan showed multiple bony metastatic lesions throughout the skeleton. IR guided bone biopsy suggested upper GI or pancreaticobiliary cancer. Venous ultrasound with Doppler of left upper extremity showed findings suggestive of a nonocclusive DVT of proximal/mid left subclavian vein which is difficult to compress. Eventually, malignancy-related DVT of the left subclavian/brachiocephalic vein was identified as the possible etiology for the bilateral chylothorax.

Deep Vein Thrombosis Provoked by Inferior Vena Cava Agenesis.

Inferior vena cava agenesis (IVCA) is a rare congenital anomaly that can be asymptomatic or present with vague, nonspecific symptoms, such as abdominal or lower back pain, or deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Here, we present a 55-year-old male who came with painless swelling and redness of his left lower limb. On examination, swelling and redness were noted extending from the left foot to the upper thigh; it was also warm compared to his right lower limb. Venous Doppler ultrasound was done which showed DVT extending up to the common femoral vein. Subsequently, computed-tomography (CT) of the chest and abdomen was done to exclude malignancy or venous flow obstruction; it revealed congenital absence (agenesis) of the infrarenal inferior vena cava (IVC).