[Tricuspid Valve Repair in a Patient with Isolated Tricuspid Valve Infective Endocarditis with Pulmonary Embolism;Report of a Case].

We report a case of 39-year-old man who developed tricuspid valve infective endocarditis with a complication of pulmonary embolism. He was transferred to our institution because of intermittent fever and enlargement of the vegetation of the tricuspid valve in spite of optimal antibiotics treatment. Computed tomography revealed pulmonary embolism, and transesophageal echocardiography showed a large and mobile vegetation (22×10 mm) on the tricuspid valve with moderate regurgitation. In addition, Streptococcus agalactiae was identified in blood cultures. The patient underwent surgical resection of the vegetation followed by tricuspid valve repair including De Vega's annuloplasty. Antibiotic therapy was continued for 4 weeks after surgery, and he was discharged on the 31st postoperative day. No endocarditis nor tricuspid valve dysfunction has re-occurred.

Isolated Atrial Septal Defect Complicated by Tricuspid Valve Infective Endocarditis.

Infective endocarditis (IE) associated with atrial septal defect (ASD) is extremely rare. However, tricuspid regurgitation (TR) secondary to right ventricular overload is a potential cause of IE, and once it occurs, the development of a paradoxical embolism may lead to fatal complications. We herein report the case of a 50-year-old woman who was admitted due to a persistent fever resistant to antibiotics. Echocardiography showed secundum ASD, moderate TR and a mobile vegetation measuring 15×10 mm attached to the tricuspid valve. Given the risk of developing a paradoxical embolism, urgent surgery was successfully performed.

Early experience treating tricuspid valve endocarditis with a novel extracellular matrix cylinder reconstruction.

OBJECTIVE: The short-term outcomes were evaluated in patients treated for tricuspid valve endocarditis using a novel extracellular matrix (ECM) cylinder reconstruction technique. METHODS: Patients with clinically significant tricuspid regurgitation whose valves were not repairable by conventional techniques underwent valve replacement with a cylindrical construct sewn out of CorMatrix ECM (CorMatrix Cardiovascular, Roswell, Ga). The cylinders were sized to the native valve dimensions and attached distally to the papillary muscles using polypropylene sutures and ECM pledgets, and proximally to the annulus using a running suture. Patient data were collected retrospectively. RESULTS: From November 2011 to October 2013, 12 surgeons performed 19 tricuspid valve cylinder reconstructions in 8 men and 10 women (age range, 19-53 years). Of the 19 patients, 11 had active and 5 had treated endocarditis. One case was robotic-assisted. No deaths occurred, and no new cases of heart block developed. The papillary attachments were disrupted intraoperatively in 1 patient and after 7 days in another; both were successfully revised. A third patient experienced recurrent disruption of the implant at 13 and 22 months and ultimately received a pericardial valve. Fungal infection occurred in 1 cylinder at 6 months; a second ECM cylinder was implanted. Follow-up data were available for 13 patients at 1 to 2 months, 8 at 6 months, and 3 at 12 and 18 months. Other than patients undergoing reoperation, all showed well-functioning tricuspid valves with no to mild regurgitation. CONCLUSIONS: Cylinder reconstruction with ECM could be a suitable technique for replacing the tricuspid valve while preserving annuloventricular continuity in patients with infective endocarditis not repairable by conventional techniques.

Gerbode defect with Staphylococcus lugdunensis native tricuspid valve infective endocarditis.

Coagulase-negative staphylococci are generally not considered to be very virulent; they are an uncommon cause of native valve endocarditis. Staphylococcus lugdunensis is an important exception and causes more severe infections, clinically mimicking S. aureus. We present a case of direct Gerbode defect associated with S. lugdunensis native valve infective endocarditis (IE) requiring cardiac surgery.

A case of tricuspid valve endocarditis due to Burkholderia cepacia complex.

Burkholderia cepacia complex organisms are environmental Gram-negative bacteria which rarely cause disease in otherwise immunocompetent individuals. We describe a case of tricuspid valve endocarditis secondary to B. cepacia complex in an injecting intravenous drug user in Auckland, New Zealand.

Successful surgical treatment of tricuspid valve endocarditis associated with vertebral osteomyelitis.

Right-sided endocarditis is relatively rare and can occasionally be complicated by vertebral osteomyelitis (VO). We describe successful treatment, including valve repair for tricuspid endocarditis associated with VO. A 77-year-old man presented with back pain and high fever. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated VO. Despite 2 months of intravenous antibiotics, the infectious signs persisted and both legs became edematous. Enterococcus faecalis was isolated from blood cultures, and echocardiography showed severe tricuspid regurgitation with large vegetations attached to the anterior leaflet (AL). A series of echocardiographic assessments revealed that the antibiotic therapy did not affect the tricuspid lesions. In surgery, the infection was extended to some chordae and over half of the AL was resected. The AL was repaired with autologous pericardium and artificial chordae. Antibiotic therapy was continued for 2 months after surgery, and the infections did not reoccur. Follow-up echocardiography showed mild regurgitation of the tricuspid valve. The patient remains free from endocarditis at 2 years after surgery.

Surgical treatment of tricuspid valve endocarditis: a single-centre experience.

OBJECTIVES: We describe our ten-year experience with surgery for isolated tricuspid valve (TV) infective endocarditis. METHODS: Data were collected through a retrospective patient record review. Between 1999 and 2009, 13 (4.6%) patients had isolated TV surgery. The mean age was 40+/-15 years and there were nine male patients and 4 female patients. Eight (61%) patients were previous intravenous drug users. Indications for surgery included severe TV regurgitation (n=5), uncontrolled infection (n=4), septic pulmonary emboli (n=3) and TV stenosis (n=1). Staphylococcus aureus (n=3) and gram negative organisms (n=2) were isolated pre-operatively. Eleven patients had replacement surgery while two valves were repaired. RESULTS: There were no hospital deaths. Post-operative complications included new atrial fibrillation (n=5), re-operation (n=2), permanent pacemaker (n=2), and renal dialysis (n=1). Five (38%) patients died during the follow-up period. Cause of death was cardiac related in four patients. Actuarial survival was 63.1% at 3 years and 50.4% at 5 years. One patient developed recurrent TV endocarditis. There were no further cases of prosthetic valve failure. TV regurgitation remained trivial in both repaired valves. CONCLUSIONS: Surgery for isolated TV endocarditis is often associated with previous intravenous drug use. The procedure can be performed with acceptable hospital morbidity and no mortality. Late mortality is high, despite the young age of the patients.

Bovine tricuspid endocarditis as a cause of increased serum concentration of cardiac troponins.

A Holstein cow presented for weight loss and anorexia had tachycardia, heart murmur, and a chronic inflammatory process. Serum cardiac troponin I was increased at 3.52 ng/mL. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a thickened tricuspid valve and comet-tail artifacts compatible with gas in the affected area. This report suggests that serum cardiac troponin I may be increased in bacterial endocarditis in cattle.

Lost without Occam's razor: Escherichia coli tricuspid valve endocarditis in a non-intravenous drug user.

The unusual case of a 31-year-old woman who developed tricuspid valve endocarditis with positive blood cultures for Escherichia coli is presented. The patient had no underlying cardiac disease or predisposing conditions that could have made her susceptible to the native valve infection. Despite a lengthy course of intravenous antibiotics only a partial response was achieved. The patient underwent cardiac surgery and had a good postoperative recovery.

Candida parapsilosis tricuspid native valve endocarditis: 3-year follow-up after surgical treatment.

In non-addicted patients, several states such as alcoholism, previous valvular heart disease or prosthetic valve replacement, immunodeficiency states, prolonged intravenous hyperalimentation, permanent pacemakers, and some congenital heart diseases can provide the predisposing factors for tricuspid valve endocarditis. It is an extremely rare occurrence in patients with normal native cardiac valves. In this report, we present a case of a 67-year-old woman with tricuspid native valve endocarditis related to Candida parapsilosis which is a very rare cause of infective endocarditis and carries a high mortality risk. An operation was indicated for the patient due to persistent enlarging vegetation on tricuspid valve, severe tricuspid regurgitation, septic pulmonary emboli and finally uncompensated respiratory and heart failure. She underwent tricuspid valve replacement with bioprothesis three years ago and now she is in a satisfactory condition without any medical treatment.

Bicuspidization of the tricuspid valve for the treatment of posterior leaflet endocarditis: a case report.

Patients who require surgical therapy for the treatment of tricuspid valve regurgitation can avoid undergoing tricuspid valve replacement if valve-sparing repair techniques are employed. Tricuspid valvular endocarditis frequently requires valvectomy, leaving the right side of the heart and pulmonary system vulnerable to unregulated blood flow. We present a case of complete posterior leaflet excision and plication of the involved portion of the tricuspid annulus, which resulted in "bicuspidization" of the valve, for the treatment of tricuspid valve endocarditis localized to the posterior leaflet.

Bacterial endocarditis of systemic atrioventricular valve (tricuspid valve) in corrected transposition and its surgical treatment.

We describe a case of congenitally corrected transposition of great arteries (CCTGA). Tricuspid valve replacement was performed due to valve dysfunction following bacterial endocarditis. After two weeks' antibiotic therapy haemodynamic stabilisation was obtained and the patient was operated in the third week. On cardiopulmonary bypass with 28 degrees C degree systemic hypothermia, the left atrium was approached transeptally. At exploration, the systemic atrioventricular valve was tricuspid valve and pulmonary atrioventricular valve was in shape of a mitral valve. The posterior leaflet of the tricuspid valve was ruptured and vegetations above it were observed. The valve was excised and a 29 mm St-Jude mechanical heart valve prosthesis implanted using a teflon reinforced separated suture technique. After operation the patient recovered rapidly and following six weeks' antibiotic therapy, the patient was discharged.