Published in:
01-07-2010
Clinical and Microbiologic Features of Multivalvular Endocarditis
Authors:
Christine Selton-Suty, Thanh Doco-Lecompte, Yvette Bernard, Xavier Duval, Lorraine Letranchant, François Delahaye, Marie Célard, François Alla, Jean-Pierre Carteaux, Bruno Hoen, and the AEPEI Study Group
Published in:
Current Infectious Disease Reports
|
Issue 4/2010
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Abstract
Multivalvular endocarditis accounts for 15% of all endocarditis. The mechanisms of spread of the infection differs whether endocarditis is only left-sided (involving both the mitral and aortic valves) or bilateral. In left-sided bivalvular endocarditis, it is often a secondary mitral lesion following a primary aortic endocarditis. Multivalvular endocarditis often results in severe and extensive cardiac lesions, well described at echocardiography and frequently responsible for severe heart failure. Patients often need surgery, which consists of radical debridement of all the infected tissue with reconstruction using different types of prostheses; therefore, the surgery may be very complex. The goal should be an early diagnosis of endocarditis to avoid spread of the infection to more than one valve, to improve the prognosis for those patients.