A Case of Pseudomonas Endocarditis that Required Surgical Intervention Despite Antibiotic Treatment

Abstract

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, endocarditis, congenital heart defect,Although infective endocarditis caused by Gram-negative microorganisms is rarely seen, it may lead to morbidity and mortality. Infective endocarditis caused by Pseudomonas strains is very rarely observed. A 3-year-old female patient with inlet-type ventricular septal defect and pulmonary stenosis was hospitalized upon a provisional diagnosis of infective endocarditis with findings of fever, tachypnea, tachycardia, and hepatomegaly, which developed 2 days after patch closure of the ventricular septal defect. A surgical operation was scheduled, because the patient manifested heart failure with growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in blood culture, and the infection could not be controlled for more than 3 months despite the appropriate combination of antibiotics. During the operation, the infected ventricular septal defect patch was removed, the tricuspid valve was repaired, and a vegetation was removed from the pulmonary valve. Although right-side cardiac valve-based endocarditis caused by P. aeruginosa can be treated with appropriate antibiotic therapy, early surgical treatment is thought to increase treatment success in patients with persistent bacteremia. cardiac surgery