Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 9, 2025

Investigating Aortic Valve Calcification via Isolation and Culture of T Lymphocytes using Feeder Cells from Irradiated Buffy Coat
Published on: February 4, 2021
TNF-α inhibitor therapy and prosthetic aortic valve endocarditis: a case report
Raksheeth Agarwal1, Shreyas Yakkali1, Antony Gonzales-Uribe1
1Department of Medicine, New York City Health + Hospitals/Jacobi Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
None:
Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) inhibitors and other biologics used for autoimmune diseases are associated with low-grade immunosuppression. Treatment with these and the presence of prosthetic mechanical cardiac valves both increase the risk of infective endocarditis (IE). However, evidence on the risk of prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) among patients treated with TNF-α inhibitors is limited. This study reports a 41-year-old man with a prosthetic aortic valve who was on treatment with golimumab and presented with low-grade fevers and positive blood cultures for Staphylococcus epidermidis. Transesophageal echocardiogram revealed vegetations adjacent to the valve sewing ring and an inflammatory phlegmon in the right atrium, leading to a diagnosis of prosthetic valve endocarditis. The patient was referred to a higher level of care center and underwent urgent surgical intervention. The study highlights that TNF-α inhibitors and other biologics may increase the risk of prosthetic heart valve endocarditis and the importance of early imaging for diagnosis.
More Related Videos
07:50An In Vitro Model of a Parallel-Plate Perfusion System to Study Bacterial Adherence to Graft Tissues
Published on: January 7, 2019
05:31Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Replacement from Autologous Pericardium with a Self-Expandable Nitinol Stent in an Adult Sheep Model
Published on: June 8, 2022
Related Concept Videos
Endocarditis III: Medical Management
Endocarditis I: Introduction
Endocarditis IV: Nursing Management
Endocarditis II: Clinical Features of Infective Endocarditis
Mitral Stenosis III: Medical Management
Aortic Regurgitation III: Medical Management