Infective endocarditis (IE) is a serious condition leading to heart failure, persistent sepsis. The management of IE involving valve is mainly excision of the infected valve and replacement with a heart valve; which are also at the risk of prosthetic valve endocarditis. Hence repair of the valve with autologous pericardium is much more physiological. We had a 20‐year‐old male presented with features of heart failure and high‐grade fever not responding to optimum medical management. Two‐dimensional echocardiogram revealed vegetation on pulmonary valve cusps with the erosion of the left and right cusps. Neo cusps with autologous pericardium offered good hemodynamics with trivial regurgitation. The patient is doing well with normal pulmonary valve function 3 months after surgery. This technique is reliable, economic, and easily reproducible.
Objectives: Pulmonary hypertension is a common association in children with nonrestrictive ventricular septal defect. It increases perioperative mortality and morbidity. Oral sildenafil is an effective pulmonary vasodilator. In this study, we assessed effects of perioperative oral sildenafil therapy on pulmonary artery pressure and early surgical outcomes. Methods: This was a single centre, prospective randomized control study. Thirty children with nonrestrictive ventricular septal defects with pulmonary hypertension were divided into two groups. In the sildenafil group (n = 15, mean age 23.3 months), oral sildenafil was administered two weeks before surgery. In the control group (n = 15, mean age 36 months), preoperative sildenafil was not given. Sildenafil was continued postoperatively in both groups, provided the postoperative pulmonary artery pressure was over 50% of systemic pressure. Results: There was no perioperative mortality, pulmonary hypertensive crisis and there were no intolerable side effects related to sildenafil in either group. Mean pulmonary artery pressure showed a reduction in both groups. Sildenafil group showed statistically significant improvement in duration of cardiopulmonary bypass (100.27 ± 21.09 min vs. 125.40 ± 26.83 min, p = .008), mechanical ventilation requirement (22.79 ± 17.13 h vs. 30.53 ± 13.05 h; p = .04), epinephrine requirement (22% patients vs. 48% patients; p = .03) and hospital stay (6.13 ± 1.40 days vs. 7.53 ± 1.92 days; p = .05). Conclusion: Oral Sildenafil therapy is an inexpensive and well-tolerated method for reducing pulmonary hypertension secondary to non-restrictive ventricular septal defect. It has noteworthy advantages regarding early surgical outcomes like reduced cardiopulmonary bypass time, improved mechanical ventilation time, lower inotrope
Background
Ocular manifestations of infective endocarditis are nonspecific and rare. Endophthalmitis, retinal artery occlusion, Roth spots and vitreal and retinal infiltrations can all be seen with infective endocarditis. Also, infective endocarditis involving the left atrial appendage with no involvement of the mitral valve apparatus is a rarity.
Case presentation
Here we report a case of infective endocarditis of the heart involving the left atrial appendage presenting with features of endogenous endophthalmitis which ultimately progressed to phthisis bulbi with subtle cardiac symptoms in a previous healthy young adult.
Conclusion
Infective endocarditis involving the left chambers of the heart carries an inherent high risk of systemic embolization. Panophthalmitis which is considered to be the most severe form of endogenous endophthalmitis is a rare presenting feature. Although a definitive treatment algorithm is lacking, early surgery and parenteral antibiotics along with local antibiotic injections could help to save the vision.
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