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Active infective endocarditis involving all four cardiac valves
I Steiner1, D H Nikolov, E Havel
1Department of Pathology, Charles University Faculty of Medicine and Faculty Hospital, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic. steiner@lfhk.cuni.cz
Summary
A 70-year-old man with necrotizing pancreatitis and multiorgan failure developed enterococcal endocarditis. Autopsy confirmed the infection affected all four heart valves, highlighting a rare complication.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Necrotizing pancreatitis is a severe condition often leading to multiorgan failure.
- Enterococcal endocarditis is a serious infection of the heart valves.
Observation:
- A 70-year-old male patient was treated for 3 months for necrotizing pancreatitis complicated by multiorgan failure.
- Autopsy examination was performed to investigate the cause of death and complications.
Findings:
- The autopsy revealed extensive enterococcal endocarditis.
- The infection involved all eleven valvular cusps across the four heart valves (aortic, mitral, tricuspid, and pulmonary).
Implications:
- This case underscores the potential for severe systemic infections, such as enterococcal endocarditis, to arise in critically ill patients with pancreatitis.
- It highlights the importance of considering cardiac complications in patients with multiorgan failure due to severe pancreatitis.