[Isolated infectious endocarditis of the pulmonary valve: a case report]

Isolated infectious endocarditis of the pulmonary valve is a rare condition and represents 1,5-2% of all cases of infectious endocarditis. We present a case of a 37year-old woman without any relevant medical history. The woman was hospitalized with hallmarks of severe sepsis and bilateral pneumonia; she died several hours after admission with progressive multiorgan failure and disseminated intravascular coagulopathy. Microbiologic examination approved Staphylococcus aureus as the etiological agent. The autopsy showed isolated endocarditis of the pulmonary valve, without any known predisposing factor. Literary data refer single cases or small groups of patients with isolated pulmonary infectious endocarditis. The clinical suspicion of this rare disease in differential diagnosis of febrile conditions is an essential factor in prognosis of afflicted persons. The crucial diagnostic methods for infectious endocarditis are echocardiography and CT examination.