An uncommon complication of infective bacterial endocarditis

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Published on: January 7, 2019

Joey Yeoh1, Tina Sun, Mark Hobbs

  • 1Division of Medicine, Middlemore Hospital, Private Bag 93311, Hospital Road, Otahuhu, Auckland 1640, New Zealand. drjoeyyeoh@gmail.com

Heart, Lung & Circulation
|August 4, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Coronary artery septic embolisation causing myocardial infarction (MI) from infective endocarditis (IE) is rare but serious. Early diagnosis is crucial, but treatment strategies require further investigation due to high mortality.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Vascular Medicine

Background:

  • Bacterial infective endocarditis (IE) can lead to rare but severe complications.
  • Coronary artery septic embolisation is an uncommon IE complication (<1%), causing cardioembolic myocardial infarction (MI).

Observation:

  • Diagnosis necessitates high clinical suspicion, coronary angiography, echocardiography, and blood/embolic cultures.
  • ST-elevation MI due to coronary septic emboli presents a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge.

Findings:

  • This case highlights ST-elevation MI from coronary artery septic embolisation.
  • Literature review reveals limited data on optimal interventional therapy for this rare condition.

Implications:

  • Despite early diagnosis, mortality associated with this condition remains high.
  • Further research and larger case series are needed to establish optimal interventional strategies for coronary artery septic embolisation.
  • This emphasizes the importance of considering IE in patients with unexplained MI.

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