Early postoperative prosthetic valve endocarditis due to Stenotrophomonas maltophilia was diagnosed in seven patients (two men) aged from 68 to 84 years (mean age 78.1 years) over a three-year period. All patients had undergone aortic valve replacement. S. maltophilia was isolated from at least two blood cultures per patient. Four patients experienced CNS embolic complications. Three patients died. All patients were treated with ceftazidime, one in combination with amikacin, one with ciprofloxacin and one with levofloxacin. Because a common source of infection in the operating theater was suspected, 24 environmental samples were taken, of which two contained S. maltophilia. Six of the seven clinical isolates from the patients and two isolates from the environment were analyzed using molecular typing by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The patients' isolates were resistant to gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and, except in one case, to amikacin and piperacillin/tazobactam and susceptible to ceftazidime and levofloxacin. In contrast, the environmental isolates were resistant to ceftazidime, showed intermediate susceptibility to ciprofloxacin, and were susceptible to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. PFGE demonstrated indistinguishable or closely related (1-3 band difference) PFGE patterns in isolates from the patients, but a different pattern in the environmental isolates. No common source of infection was found despite intensive investigation. Extensive cleaning and other measures of infection control were carried out and no new cases were recorded in the two year follow-up period.

Children with normal and low CI were differentiated by T-lymphocytes and HLA-DR+ monocytes. Since no differences in methylprednisolone exposure and cortisol plasma levels between the low-CI and normal-CI groups were found, it can be concluded that factors other than methylprednisolone must contribute to differences in the cell-mediated response.

These data illustrate that single-lead VDD pacemakers can be applied without serious complications in a highly selected group of patients. Our main concern is the development of AT in a large part of our population. Over a 10-year period, two thirds of our patients presented with AT.

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Mechanical aortic valve dysfunction is a very rare event and is usually due to thrombosis, pannus overgrowth, or both. BioGlue as a cause for such a complication has been reported only occasionally. We describe a case of a 63-year-old woman who underwent operation for symptomatic tight aortic stenosis. After implantation of an aortic valve (AGN-751, size 19; St. Jude Medical, St. Paul, MN, USA) because of a transverse tear of the aortic wall above the annulus occurring during the suturing of the aortotomy, a triangular Vascutek Dacron patch (Vascutek/Terumo, Inchinnan, Scotland, UK) was included. To secure hemostasis, BioGlue (CryoLife, Kennesaw, GA, USA) was applied. A transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) examination performed after signs of ischemia appeared in the electrocardiogram on postoperative day 5 revealed an aortic transvalvular gradient of 74/38 mm Hg and a functional valve area of 1.0 cm2. No coronary lesions were revealed in a coronarography evaluation, but cinefluoroscopy (CF) examination revealed immobility of 1 valve leaflet. The reoperation revealed a thick, rough layer of the glue on the inner side of the patch. This glue had run down to the valve, blocking a mechanical leaflet. Cleaning the valve was not possible, and the valve had to be changed. The subsequent postoperative course was uneventful. The transvalvular gradient was 39/20 mm Hg, and the functional valve area was 1.2 cm2. We believe that the use of BioGlue and other surgical sealants is justified to secure complex suture lines and for maintaining hemostasis in cardiac surgery, but some precautionary rules must be respected. Authors have indicated that the glue enters through the needle holes in such cases, but our findings suggest it can also pass to the Dacron patch itself. CF is superior to TTE and transesophageal echocardiography for analyzing movement of the mechanical valve leaflet, and cardiac catheterization is rarely needed.