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[Tricuspid valve endocarditis in children]
F Moraes Neto1, C L Santos, S S Mattos
1Instituto do Coração de Pernambuco, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE.
Insights
Pediatric tricuspid valve endocarditis is a severe condition, often presenting with sepsis and heart failure. Early surgical intervention may improve survival rates in these critically ill children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Cardiac Surgery
Background:
- Tricuspid valve endocarditis is a rare but serious condition in children.
- It often presents with systemic symptoms and complications.
Observation:
- Four children (ages 1-16) presented with isolated tricuspid valve endocarditis.
- All cases exhibited sepsis, cardiac murmur, and heart failure.
- Pulmonary embolism was observed in three children.
Findings:
- Echocardiography confirmed tricuspid valve vegetation in all patients.
- Two patients, including one who underwent surgery, unfortunately died.
- Sepsis, heart failure, and pulmonary embolism indicate a severe prognosis.
Implications:
- Tricuspid valve endocarditis in children is associated with high mortality.
- Prompt surgical treatment might be crucial for reducing mortality.
- Further research into optimal management strategies is warranted.
Abstract:
Four children, three males, with ages 5, 1, 16 and 6 years, presented with isolated tricuspid valve endocarditis. Two of them were submitted to surgical treatment. Sepsis, cardiac murmur and heart failure were present in all of them. Three presented pulmonary embolism. Echocardiography demonstrated vegetation in the tricuspid valve in all cases. Two patients, one of them submitted to surgery, died. Tricuspid valve endocarditis in children with sepsis, heart failure and pulmonary embolism is a severe condition and early surgical treatment may diminished the high mortality.