[Minimally Invasive Aortic Valve Replacement for Aortic Valve Infective Endocarditis Complicated by Septic Arthritis...

A 54-year-old man with a history of atopic dermatitis was admitted to our hospital for persistent fever and multiple arthralgias unresponsive to antibiotics. On the second day of hospitalization, Staphylococcus aureus was detected in the blood culture, and debridement for presumed pyogenic arthritis was performed on the patient's bilateral wrists and right ankle joints. Echocardiography showed evidence of infective endocarditis of the aortic valve. The patient's fever persisted after drainage of multiple joint abscesses, and blood cultures remained positive. A right sternoclavicular joint abscess that had been noted on computed tomography (CT) at the time of admission had not decreased in size on repeat CT performed 10 days post-admission. After additional drainage of the sternoclavicular joint abscess on the 15th day, the patient's fever subsided, and blood culture was negative. On the 29th day, an aortic valve replacement was performed via a right anterior thoracotomy to prevent sternal osteomyelitis. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged on the 35th day after valve surgery. One year after the surgery, he continues to take antibiotics, and recurrence of infection has not been observed.